Lifestyle Choices Can Lead to a Better Back and Neck
Here are 6 easy steps for a healthy back and improved spinal health! Better back health is within everyone’s reach.
1. Posture: Maintain ideal posture. A hunched or slouching posture contributes to neck and back fatigue. This in turn leads to weaknesses in the spine, and can potentially develop into a painful back or neck condition.
Standing—Proper standing posture does not mean ramrod straight. There is a natural curve to the spine. The goal is to stand tall, erect and have weight distributed evenly. First, take a look in the mirror. Are your ears over your shoulders? Are your shoulders even in height? Is your chin up? Is your chest sinking in or up and out? Are your hips even in height? Next, stand against a wall (your heels should be a few inches from the baseboard). Try to press your lower back into the wall, turning your hips under. Move your shoulders down and back, into the wall. Move your head back and chin up. Feel your posture. Now step away from the wall and try to maintain this. Be conscious of this being your newly acquired posture.
Sitting – Don’t slouch. Whether at work, in class, when dining… even sitting on the ground, sit tall. Pretend a string is coming from the top of your head and stretching your head away from your hips. Pull your stomach in. Keep your shoulders back and down.
2. Proper lifting and turning: Your spine is designed to bear reasonable strain and torsion (twisting). But taking on too much, and having imbalance, can even lead to a painful herniated disc or bulging disc or sciatica leg pain.
Lifting—When bending to lift something heavy, keep your back straight and bend your knees. Grab the load securely in your arms. Feel that your legs are carrying the bulk of the weight as you stand. Balance yourself in your back, but use your legs to carry the heft. If something is too heavy for your legs to bear, then get help or use a dolly/wheelbarrow. Or break the load into smaller bundles.
Turning—Turning and pivoting properly is important, especially if you are holding something heavy in your arms. If you turn with your feet planted firmly, then your lower back is taking on a great amount of stress and a spinal disc could become damaged. Best to first take a step in the direction you want to turn, then turn your body in that direction. Your legs still support the weight of your load.
3. Weight Control: The combined effect of eating leaner meals and doing regular aerobic activity can help to control body weight, which places less weight-bearing load on your spine. Less load means less strain, which can help to avoid back pain. Spring is the perfect time to get out and move!
4. Strength and flexibility: The muscles of the abdomen and lower back support the spine and help it to stay strong and supple. Exercise like Yoga or Pilates can be great for targeting and strengthening these core muscles, when done properly. Back Clinics of Canada has produced a series of exercise videos that you can follow to safely and easily develop flexibility and strength of the lower back and neck.
5. Nutrition: Your diet does make a different to your back! Your spine is made up of 24 moveable bones (vertebrae). In between each pair of bones is a disc of soft tissue, made primarily of collagen. Certain nutrients and minerals are directly responsible for supporting soft tissue growth and healing. These include collagen rich foods, Glucosamine Sulfate, anti-oxidants, Omega 3 Fatty Acids, Sulphur rich foods, anti-inflammatories, soy products, fiber. Eat a daily diet that includes fresh foods containing the nutrition you need to boost health of soft tissue in your body. Many people have found benefit by taking Disc Renewal PlusTM, a proprietary nutritional supplementation pack with the goal to support connective tissue growth and repair.
6. Visit a back specialist if you experience low back pain or neck pain that lasts more than a week. At Back Clinics of Canada, we see patients who have been suffering for weeks, months, sometimes many years, who are living with back pain, neck pain, stenosis, degenerative disc disease, sciatica pain, or peripheral neuropathy pain. Most qualified patients do very well under this proprietary and unique High Performance Healing SystemTM of care. This system offers patients a multi-pronged approach that includes Class IV K-laser therapy, non-surgical spinal decompression, Disc Renewal Plus™ nutritional supplementation, and ongoing non-invasive testing and assessment.
