Crimes against your spine

The spine is an amazing living structure, integral to your health and life itself and yet people push their spines to the limit every day. I’m not talking bungee jumping or back flips; simply going about your everyday business without adopting spine friendly habits could be setting you up for pain and stiffness in the near future. So here are my top six crimes against the spine that make this practitioners blood boil!

1. Do the twist and shout

Bending and twisting at the same time is a very common cause of back injury: if you do the twist-and-bend be prepared to shout in pain. The lower (lumbar) part of your spine takes on an enormous amount of stress when you simultaneously bend and twist which can lead to the misalignment of your spinal bones (vertebrae). When your vertebrae are even slightly out of alignment, your spine cannot optimally move and support weight and vertebrae may even be pressing on nerves exiting the spinal cord or placing abnormal pressures on the spongy discs in between the vertebrae. The next time you are lifting your shopping from the car, carrying your child, taking that golf swing or even just bending down to pick up that dropped pen remember: the twist is out! To pick up something in a way that doesn’t risk your spine: stand facing the item with your feet shoulder width apart. Crouch down using your knees (if your knees are painful, try only going down on one knee and if you get any of these symptoms call our clinic today to speak to one of our staff, otherwise leave us a message and we get back to you ASAP)

2. Sloppy posture

Sloppy posture can cause back ache, headaches, breathing and digestive problems, it can restrict movement and disturb our sleep. It also affects how you look. The correct posture will make you look taller and slimmer and gives you an air of confidence. But many people have poor posture. Poor posture can result from simple everyday activities – leaning over paperwork or straining to peer at the computer screen – and the result is muscle tension, stiffness, backaches, neck cramps and fatigue.  Good posture means there is good musculoskeletal balance and weight is evenly distributed. The neck has a slight natural curve, sitting on top of the two curves in the middle and lower back. When viewed from side on your ear, shoulder hip, knee and ankle should be in a vertical line. Try to adopt this posture now. Do not tilt your head up, keep your chin slightly down and your shoulders relaxed. It’s simple but requires practice until it stops feeling a bit strange and becomes your natural, comfortable posture. Try some of these exercises to help with your posture

3. Sitting still

Backs are made to move. Each time your spine moves or stretches, lubricating liquid washes in and out of the spongy shock absorbing discs in between your vertebrae. When you sit still for long periods of time, particularly if you are slouching with relaxed tummy muscles, the lubricating liquid seeps out of your discs but there is no movement or stretching to allow it to be reabsorbed. Every 30 minutes, you should stand up, stretch and walk around for a couple of minutes to allow your discs a chance to refill. This is also a good opportunity to check that you are sitting with good posture (particularly avoid sitting with your legs crossed).

4. Sleeping on your tummy

What’s wrong with sleeping on your front? When you sleep on your tummy, your exaggerate the arch of your lower back and your neck is forced to twist 90 degrees to the side and be held in this position for hours at a time stressing the nerves and blood vessels that feed your head and brain. In addition to this, your lungs must work hard all night to lift up the weight of your upper back in order to inflate. Switch from being a tummy sleeper to sleeping on your back or on your side. If sleeping on your back is uncomfortable on your lower back, try placing a slim pillow under your knees to reduce the pressure on the sciatic nerve. If you prefer sleeping on your side, try placing a slim pillow between your knees.  For more information on good sleeping positions, please go to my u-tube site which all the sleeping positions for both pregnant and non pregnant people: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TUGPawLE_hY

5. High heels and shoddy shoes

Your feet are the foundation for your entire body. When they suffer, your whole body is placed in jeopardy. Even without pain, foot dysfunction can cause your whole body to overcompensate, which can lead to back pain and even headache, not to mention the emotional stress of discomfort and limitations on movement that can spread from the feet upward.

Wearing appropriate and properly fitting footwear will go a long way to keeping your feet working properly. Women have four times as many foot problems as men because they are more likely to wear high heels and pointy toed shoes. I advise all female patients to limit wearing high heels and to wear flatter shoes, such as pumps, for the majority of the day. Everyone should avoid wearing the same pair of shoes every day by alternating between two or more pairs. And when your trainers get shoddy looking give them a shove and buy a new properly fitted pair, as their protective shock absorbing abilities will have worn out.

6. Big bad bags

Right, now if any of you ladies reading this are anything like me better half, then I know how much you carry around in your bags.  Carrying more than 10 per cent of your body weight causes improper balance – the shoulder bearing the weight is raised and the spine hunches over reducing the control you have over your limbs as you walk and place stress on the nerves in your neck. To ease this potential problem, distribute weight evenly between both hands by carrying two bags or use a rucksack style bag with the straps worn over both shoulders. Check your bag each day to ensure that you aren’t lugging around unnecessary items.  Also I suggest buying a couple of bags so that on days when you are only going out for a quick walk around you aren’t lugging around unnecessary stuff.  If nothing else think of it as my gift to you by giving you a good excuse to go buy a smaller bag to go with your bigger day bag.

All information given is intended for general informational purposes only, and should not be construed as medical advice, medical opinion, diagnosis or treatment. If you have or suspect you may have a health problem, you should consult your GP.

 

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