38. GOTS Annual Congress, Luxembourg
Common disease back pain: almost everyone gets it at some point. Around 34 percent of women and 26 percent of men even suffer from chronic back pain. In the diagnosis of this pain and the therapies derived from it, the “sagittal balance” has regained particular importance. What sagittal balance actually is, how it is determined and why it is so important, PD Dr. medical Markus Knöringer, neurosurgeon and spine expert of the GOTS at the 38th annual congress in Luxembourg.
“There used to be a lot of talk about attitude,” says Knöringer, “that was lost, but is now gaining momentum again.” Because nobody wants and should be operated on quickly, but rather be pain-free through prophylaxis and modern conservative medicine.
The sagittal balance of the spine describes the alignment of the spine in the sagittal plane. It can be determined from the optics and from various radiological parameters. In science, it is about certain parameters, for example angles, that have to fit, including a certain pelvic inclination.
The patient is viewed from the side. The lateral posture, the double natural curvature of the spine is the decisive factor when it comes to freedom from pain in everyday life and in sports. The joint functions and various sections of the spine are also tested laterally. They all have to be mobile.
Causes of a sagittal imbalance include shortening, reduced mobility of the spine and joints or bad habits, such as looking down when using the phone. The weight of the head repeatedly pulls the vertebrae into an unnatural position.
The first bad postures already occur in childhood, this continues into old age, among other things due to a lot of long sitting and driving.
But also through one-sided strain during sports, for example when cycling, where the muscles are not used over the entire circumference. Every sport needs its balancing sport in the form of certain exercises for strength, stretching, gymnastics in order to regain a natural sagittal balance.
Knöringer: “However, every person is built differently, better or worse in the spine. We can’t change that, but we can work on it. We can’t prevent old age either, but we have the opportunity to get a few percent off with appropriate sport and good physiotherapy.”
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The trinational (Germany, Austria, Switzerland) Society for Orthopedic-Traumatological Sports Medicine (GOTS) is the largest European association of sports orthopedists and sports traumatologists. She is the first point of contact for the care of sports injuries and guarantees quality in sports trauma care. Her goal is to improve the understanding of sporting stress and injuries in order to maintain musculoskeletal function and quality of life. To this end, the GOTS promotes training and further education, research and international exchange among doctors working in sports orthopedics and sports traumatology and professional groups in related fields.
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