World Spine Day on 16 October highlights the need for us to take care of our spines. An estimated 540 million people worldwide suffer with spinal pain, which is the biggest single cause of disability on the planet. Back pain, specifically lower back pain, is suffered not only by the elderly, but also young people.
Read through this checklist and see where you can affect change.
Keep moving
A slouchy lifestyle puts too much pressure on the spinal discs and back muscles, which causes long-term complications. Exercise helps restore fluidity of our muscles, joints, and spinal discs, thereby preventing pain. Easy-to-do, but effective exercises include: partial crunches (keep the small of your back on the floor), bridges, hamstring stretches, knee-to-chest, cat stretches, shoulder and neck rolls. Stretch before doing physical activities such as gardening and other forms of exercise to prevent injuries.
Maintain a healthy weight
Excess weight puts pressure on the spine. Eat a wholesome diet and exercise to keep your weight at a healthy level to avoid unnecessary pressure on the spine.
Good posture
Maintain proper posture by standing and sitting up straight. People who work on their computers usually slouch a lot, or lean forward, which puts pressure on the neck, back muscles and spine and causes pain. Maintaining an upright posture by aligning the neck and the lower back can prevent damage.
Avoid sitting for long periods
Sitting in one position for extended hours is unhealthy and leads to back pain.Get up to stretch and walk around at least once an hour, try working at a stand-up desk for some of the day, and pace while talking on the phone. Taking short, frequent breaks reduces the stress on our spines.
Take care with heavy lifting
Use your leg muscles to lift heavy objects. As you stand up while holding the object, do not bend forward. Try to keep your back straight and do not twist while you’re bending to reach for the object, lifting it, or carrying it.
Check your shoes
Good shoes provide a supportive base that helps the spine and body remain in alignment. Make sure the area of the shoe that fits the back of your heel is snug, but not overly tight. A good fit prevents too much rolling of the foot to the outside or inside.
Sleep on firm or medium-firm mattress
Most people benefit from having a mattress that’s firm enough to support their spine, rather than an old or soft mattress that allows the spine to sag.
LifeAssist has specialised Biokineticists that can assist you with a stretching program to help you with backache – call LifeAssist at no cost to you or your family.