Almost permanently paralyzed because of applying leaves to treat back pain

Many people were burned and paralyzed due to applying leaves to treat back pain.

The Department of Traditional Medicine, Vietnam - Sweden Uong Bi Hospital has just received Mr. LVN, 39 years old (residing in Dong Trieu, Quang Ninh province), who suffered second-degree burns on his back after applying leaves to treat his back pain.

The reason was that Mr. N. had a history of back pain for many years due to the nature of his heavy work. A week before being hospitalized, Mr. T. had a relapse of back pain, pain spreading down both legs, constant numbness, pain increased when moving or coughing, sneezing...

However, Mr. N. did not go to the hospital for examination but instead read on the Internet to find a type of leaf, crushed it and mixed it with salt to apply as treatment. After 3 days, the back pain did not improve and the skin area where the medicine was applied also had second-degree blisters on the waist, about 3x6cm in size.

At the Department of Traditional Medicine, Mr. N. was treated with anti-inflammatory pain relief, muscle relaxation, burn wound care, combined with traditional medical techniques such as electroacupuncture, hydroacupuncture, massage, etc.

After more than 1 week of treatment, the back pain has decreased, Mr. N. can bend and move more easily, the burn on his lumbar area has peeled off and become a scar...

Similarly, at the Vietnam - Cuba Dong Hoi Friendship Hospital, a 53-year-old female patient (residing in Ba Don, Quang Binh province) was admitted to the hospital with severe weakness in both legs, bedridden, urinary incontinence, and burn ulcers on the soles of both feet.

Cause: 6 months before hospitalization, feeling back pain, difficulty walking, the patient went to a private clinic and was diagnosed with mild lumbar disc herniation and was prescribed medical treatment.

After taking medicine without relief, the patient was advised by friends to apply leaf compresses (unknown type) several times. At first, the symptoms improved for a short time, then the disease relapsed, causing pain and numbness in the hip area down to both legs, weakness in both legs, difficulty walking, and urinary incontinence.

However, the family still bought a few more doses of medicine to take with it, and heated their feet over the fire to increase the sensation according to the medicine seller's instructions.

As a result, the patient was hospitalized with complete paralysis of both legs, ulcers and burns on the soles of his feet, and incontinence.

After examining the neurosurgeons, Vietnam - Cuba Dong Hoi Friendship Hospital suspected the patient had thoracic spinal cord disease, so they ordered an MRI scan of the thoracic spine.

The results revealed a D9 thoracic spinal cord tumor severely compressing the spinal canal. The patient was scheduled for semi-emergency surgery to remove the microsurgical spinal cord tumor. After nearly 3 hours of surgery, the surgery was completed.

One week after surgery, the patient's condition improved well, he could walk and had control over his bowels and bladder.

Wrong treatment method wastes time, serious illness

MSc. Nguyen Van Man, Head of the Department of Neurosurgery at the Vietnam - Cuba Friendship Hospital, shared that many cases of lumbar spine pain were treated with the wrong method, not only wasting time and treatment costs but also making the disease worse.

Experts emphasize that the lumbar spine plays a very important role in the human body because it is the supporting pillar that helps us stand upright. At the same time, it is also where the nervous system and ligaments are located to control and help connect bones and joints.

Back pain is a phenomenon of pain and numbness in the back spine, which can be acute pain (sudden pain, lasting several weeks), or chronic pain (progressing over a period of time, lasting up to several months) and can occur anywhere on the spine, such as: above, below, in the middle, on one side or left, or right.

The pain can be dull, persistent, or can cause a burning sensation or severe pain. In some cases, the pain can radiate to the pelvis, limbs, or cause numbness in the limbs.

Spinal pain is a common disease not only in the elderly due to natural degeneration of bones and joints, but many young people also suffer from it.

There are many causes of the disease. For example, from groups of pathological causes such as: spinal degeneration, disc herniation; arthritis; cancer; spinal stenosis... to different causes such as:

- Women in stages of hormonal changes or weight changes: during pregnancy or menstruation, many women may experience back pain. For those who are overweight, increased pressure on the spine and other areas such as the neck, knee joints... also leads to pain.

- Injury: during walking, working or playing sports, you may fall or collide, causing the spine to be impacted, causing pain.

- People who regularly do heavy labor, especially carrying heavy loads, put a lot of pressure on the spine, gradually causing it to weaken and become painful.

- Bad habits in daily life: this is the cause that many people encounter. Typical examples include sitting or walking with a hunched back, frequently crossing legs, squatting... affecting blood circulation, compressing ligaments, and causing the spine to become curved or misaligned. For people who lack nutrients, use stimulants, or are often tired or stressed, back pain can also occur.

In addition, if you have diseases such as kidney, gynecological, aneurysm... the spine can also be painful.