How To Promote Your Spine Health
Your spine stabilizes your body, allowing you to move, bend, and stand. Because it’s an essential part of your body, taking proper care of it is vital. Without doing so, you risk experiencing spinal, joint, back, neck, and muscle pain. These may result from spine overuse or weakness.
Maintaining a healthy spine is getting treatment promptly in case of an injury. However, you should work with top experts to receive the best care and ensure a full recovery. You can ask a friend or relative to recommend a good spinal specialist from your local area.
Alternatively, you can search online for sites like https://rmspineandsport.com/ and others. To determine the best spinal treatment facility, you can look at their past client testimonials.
There are several inexpensive ways to promote your spine health. These will help you avoid spine-related issues and lead a happy life. Here are some tips you can consider:
1. Exercise
Regular exercises can help you maintain a healthy spine. Also, physical activity can improve your spine’s condition in case of injuries. You don’t need a strenuous exercise routine to get the required benefits. Simple activities that stretch and strengthen your hamstrings, abdominal muscles, and back will do.
They can strengthen bone structure and core muscles, improve spine flexibility, and enhance balance. They could also help direct essential nutrients into your spinal discs and soft tissue. Simple activities beneficial to the spine can also lower inflammation and quicken healing in case of an injury.
You can consider chin-to-chest, knee-to-chest, cat-cow, and rational stretches. Bird-dog, bridge, pelvic tilt, side plank, and curl-up exercises can also help. Walking offers several benefits like improving mood, energy, and heart health.
This activity can also be significantly helpful to your spine. It strengthens the muscles supporting your spine, increasing flexibility and relieving spinal pressure and stress. It also betters blood circulation, which is essential for maintaining health.
Before incorporating any of the mentioned exercises into your normal routine, seek guidance from your healthcare provider first. You can also join a gym, hire a personal trainer, or look for an exercise partner to help you stay committed to your new routine.
2. Wear Shoes That Support Spine Health
The shoes you wear can affect your spine health negatively or positively. Since your feet act as your body’s base when walking, running, or standing, they need comfortable shoes. These will absorb the impact created when your feet hit the ground, so other body parts like your knees, ankles, back, and overall spine don’t bear it.
The right shoes will help you avoid back pain and muscle strains and keep your spine well-aligned. Your joints, bones, ligaments, and muscles will also work more efficiently when you wear them.
An excellent pair will prevent stressing your knees, hips, back, and overall spine. So, go for footwear that offers arch support, fits well, has enough cushioning, and isn’t too tight. You can also consider shoe inserts for more support and balance.
High heels can cause your chest to move and arch your lower back, misaligning your spine. Like flip-flops, shoes that are too flat aren’t the best. These can cause pain in your heels, knees, ankles, back, or feet since they don’t offer excellent arch support. They’re fine if you’re using them to walk a short distance. However, wearing them for a long time could cause the mentioned problems.
3. Lift Heavy Items Carefully
Improperly lifting heavy items can negatively affect your spine’s health. This habit can stress your lower back muscles, causing uncomfortable muscle strains and back injuries. Weighty objects can also rupture your spinal discs or lock the spinal joint if you lift them incorrectly.
The right posture can prevent compromising your spine if your job involves moving heavy items. So, you have to do more than involve your knees when lifting. Consider leading with your hips instead of your back or shoulders. Also, leverage your abdomen muscles, keep your back straight, put your chest forward, and involve your legs’ power.
4. Provide Sufficient Rest For Your Spine When Sleeping
It also helps to provide sufficient rest for your spine when sleeping. It’s essential, especially because your spine has been working all day, offering support and helping you move, bend, walk, and stand. To ensure your spine is well-rested and reenergized for the next day, here are some things to consider when sleeping:
- A Medium Firm Or Firm Mattress
A soft and old mattress will make your spine sag as you slumber. So, buy a firm or medium-firm type for sufficient spine support.
- Ensure Your Spine Is Naturally Aligned
It’s also best to ensure your spine is naturally aligned when sleeping. So, if you prefer slumbering on your back, buy a flat pillow or one with medium thickness so your neck isn’t too high while you sleep. You’ll prevent back, shoulder, and neck muscle strains. Also, consider having a pillow under the knees to maintain your lower back’s normal curvature while slumbering.
On the other hand, if you’re a side sleeper, buy a thicker pillow that ensures your head and neck are between your shoulders. You could also add a pillow between your legs. This will reduce lower spine pressure and keep your hips balanced while slumbering.
Your doctor can advise you on the best sleeping position. They may warn against slumbering on your stomach as this can stress your spine and back since the most weight will be in your body’s middle area.
So, keeping your spine in a neutral position will be challenging as you sleep. You’re likely to stress your spine and cause strain on other body parts, which could lead to pain or numbness.
Additionally, when slumbering on your stomach, you’ll have your head turned to the side. This position can make you twist your neck since your head and spine aren’t properly aligned. You may not experience any major concerns the first time. However, if you continue doing so, you could develop serious neck issues.
Final Thoughts
Taking proper care of your spine is the best way to keep it healthy. In this article, you’ve learned that seeking prompt treatment in case of injuries is one way to maintain your spine. Other inexpensive ways to improve your spine’s health are exercising, wearing the right shoes, and lifting heavy items carefully. Also, ensure rest for your spine when sleeping.
Incorporating these tips into your daily life will help you reduce the risk of experiencing head, neck, and joint pain, muscle strains, and spinal issues.
