Spring is here. Sunshine and fresh air beckon. It seems just about everybody is getting outside to enjoy this good weather. There’s lots to do — landscaping, gardening, home renovations, tennis, biking, golf, running, pickup basketball. Whatever suits your fancy.

This is the time to get out and get active. It’s also a prime time to sustain a low back injury if you’re out of shape and don’t approach activity with some smarts. Our Toronto back clinic sees many patients who have sustained a low back injury by jumping into strenuous activity after a sedentary winter. While some of us were good about keeping fit during the wintry months, enjoying outdoor activities or making use of an indoor gym, others may have opted to bide their time indoors, waiting for the big thaw. For those of us who hunkered down for winter, this return to activity makes us prime candidates for incurring back pain.

Spinal injuries occur when we exert extra strain on our back, through excessive pressure and torsion.

– Pressure comes by way of lifting or hauling things that are too heavy for us, or by pounding our bodies in certain “jarring” sports. Our spinal discs, found between each vertebrae, act as shock-absorbing cushions and are remarkable in their engineering. They can withstand great amounts of pressure. But when the pressure is excessive, the disc can bulge or herniate rather than absorb the pressure and naturally return to a normal state.

– Torsion occurs when we participate in sports that require repetitive twisting motion. Tennis, baseball and golf are such sports. Golfers in particular are susceptible to spinal injury because they twist their spines repeatedly, in the same direction, with great force. Their spinal discs are undergoing great strain. As with excessive pressure, they can withstand only so much repeated torsion before the natural healthy state of their spinal discs becomes compromised.

We see many patients who engaged in strenuous physical activity with inadequate preparation and took on more than their bodies were capable of handling. Fortunately, non-surgical Spinal Decompression helps relieve pain caused by bulging, herniated or damaged discs, and heals the discs for a pain-free future. Our Toronto back clinic offers Spinal Decompression to patients in Toronto, Vaughan, Richmond Hill, and the greater Toronto area.

Here are some quick tips for enjoying a pain-free, active Spring:

Gardening/Landscaping

• use a knee pad for comfort so you are more likely to get lower and closer to your work. Bending from the hips strains the lower back and leads to injury.
• Always lift from the knees, using your thighs and abs to rise. This minimizes direct strain on your back.
• Use a wheelbarrow to move heavy things, like soil and rock, around your garden, particularly if you are working in a large area.
• Ask for help. A partner can help carry extremely heavy items, move bulky items, and share in the lifting.

Sports/Athletics

• Warm up with light aerobics to get your heart going. It gets oxygen-rich blood flowing to every part of your body, invigorating cells and warming up muscles.
• Do proper stretches to get limber. Do your best to loosen tight muscles and ligaments. Your body will have an easier time moving, twisting and turning, and be better able to return to a normal position.

General Guidelines

• Always consult your health professional if you are feeling back or neck pain, before you engage in any strenuous activity.
• Drink plenty of water, before, during and after your activity. Staying well hydrated is a great way to enable your body to maintain its health.
• Stop if you feel pain, dizziness, cramps, muscle spasm, strain or any other worrisome aches.

It’s great that Back Clinics of Canada is busy. We’re helping patients with debilitating low back pain and neck pain to regain a healthy, active, pain-free life with non-surgical Spinal Decompression (Toronto). But it would be better if we were less busy. It would mean fewer people were suffering with pain. Your body is remarkable, able to withstand so much. Your spine supports, protects and enables movement and function. Do your best to be active with intelligence, and avoid long-term painful injury to your spine. It’s the person who sustains back injuries caused by over exertion and improper treatment of their body who usually ends up at Back Clinics of Canada.