Improve Your Spine Health to Avoid Back Pain
Do you suffer from back pain? Back pain can range in severity from minor aches to sharp stabbing pains. When you wake up in the morning, stand for more than 10 minutes, or walk long distances, you may notice that your pain worsens.
Low-back pain is one of the most common and expensive musculoskeletal problems in the world. According to studies, approximately 80% of the population will experience low-back pain. Fortunately, your back pain can be avoided and resolved by working with a chiropractor at Active Sport & Spine Therapy in New Jersey to improve your spinal health.
Call Active Sport & Spine Therapy today to learn more about how the health of your spine is influencing your back pain and to learn more about the benefits of chiropractic care for managing back pain!
The significance of spine health
“How can I tell if my spine is healthy?” you may wonder.
When we think of health, we usually think of nutrition, exercise, and heart health, but spine health is also important for your overall health and normal daily functioning.
Your spine serves many functions in your body, including protecting your spinal cord, allowing you to breathe properly, and allowing your body to move. Almost every bodily function is directly related to the health of your spine!
If you have back pain, you understand how limiting it can be. To ensure your spine’s optimal health, you must do the following:
- Proper posture with natural spinal curves.
- Strong muscles (i.e., core, hip/pelvis, and lower back)
- Full (maximum) mobility throughout the spine and all the different movements of the spine (i.e., bending forward and backward, rotating and side bending)
- Good nutrition and rest at night.
The good news is that the chiropractic team at Active Sport & Spine Therapy can help you achieve better spine health!
How can I improve my spine’s health?
The spine is a complex structure made up of vertebrae, discs, joints, ligaments, tendons, muscles, and nerves. As a result, maintaining peak health and function requires a delicate balance. Taking care of your spine health, like anything else, requires your participation.
To effectively treat acute and chronic back pain, chiropractic care employs a multifaceted approach that includes spinal manipulation therapy, self-management advice, and strengthening exercises. A comprehensive program in which you do everything possible to ensure the health and function of your spine is the best practice.
The following are some ways to improve the health of your spine:
1. Get some rest: Standing, sitting, and bending throughout the day compresses your spine.
Adequate sleep in a comfortable position helps you maintain a healthy spine. Imagine you’re having difficulty finding a comfortable sleeping position. In that case, it is generally best to try to maintain a neutral spine position and use pillows and blankets to help your body achieve this position. Lying on either side of your back, you can easily find a neutral position.
Too often, people try to force themselves to sleep in a particular position, but research in sleep labs has shown us that we change positions throughout the night regardless of where we start. Choosing a position that allows you to sleep is the most important factor.
Regarding the ideal mattress, medium firmness seems to help more people get good rest than either too soft or too firm. Although there are a lot of anecdotal stories about the “best” firmness, research shows that it is a personal preference and most people choose medium firmness for proper rest.
2. Improve your spine’s mobility and strength: The spine’s most important function is to allow your body to move. A general routine that involves moving your entire spine through different movements and positions (stretches) can help keep your spine healthy. Stretching for 10 minutes every day can help keep your spine mobile.
It is also critical to move around at work whenever possible. Reach overhead, turn right and left, and lean over from one side to the other to stretch your spine.
It is also critical to devote 3-4 days per week to strengthening exercises. Core exercises (abdominal, back, and hip/pelvis muscles) help to keep your spine strong and prevent future pain and/or injuries.
3. Maintain proper posture: Sit tall and use lumbar support if you work at a desk during the day. Avoid sitting slouched for long periods of time, and change positions as soon as you feel tightness or pain, regardless of how you are sitting!
Keep your spine in a neutral position when lifting. This position allows you to engage your entire core while lifting the weight/object with your legs. Ideally, you should keep an arch (lordosis) throughout the movement. Bending forward, especially with twisting movements, should be avoided.
How chiropractic care can help you improve the health of your spine
Chiropractors are healthcare providers who specialize in the diagnosis and treatment of spinal and neuromusculoskeletal disorders. They employ a variety of techniques to improve spinal health in order to improve your overall health and well-being. Chiropractor is derived from the Greek words “cheir,” which means “hand,” and “practor,” which means “practitioner.”
A chiropractor at Active Sport & Spine Therapy will be able to assess your spinal health as well as any joint pain or injury related to spine function. They will be able to determine which techniques would be the best fit for you after asking you health-related questions and performing a thorough evaluation of your body and movement abilities.
We emphasize the importance of education to help you understand what is causing your pain and how to resolve it. Your chiropractor may employ spinal manipulation, manual therapy, or modalities and taping techniques. Your chiropractor may also recommend making changes at home and doing specific exercises or changes to your nutrition to reduce pain and inflammation.
Know that during your treatment, you can feel free to ask questions! Our clinic will always do our very best to handle any concerns you may have so that you feel comfortable and satisfied when you leave your appointment.
Make an appointment with Active Sport & Spine Therapy today!
If you have been experiencing back pain or want to avoid future back pain, please contact Active Sport & Spine Therapy today to schedule an appointment with one of our New Jersey skilled chiropractors.
By detecting back pain early, we can prevent it from worsening. Don’t put up with back pain – see a chiropractor today to improve your spine health!