This week, with our committment to your health,
we bring you ways in which you can avoid spinal cord damage and subsequent back pain. Severe spinal cord
damage stems from mundane and seemingly trivial aspects in our lives. Although
one of the strongest parts of the body, the lower back is incredibly
susceptible to damage. Twisting, poor posture, and repetitive strain all leads
to its gradual deterioration – so, with this in mind - let’s undergo a quick
lower-back health workshop: how can you avoid spinal damage?
Posture
This is the
easiest to fix in the short term, but one of the hardest in the long term.
Before we go into why that is (and how we should sit), let’s explain why our
posture can have such a strain on the spine. The spine is multiply-curved
back-to-front in an S shape to allow greater weight bearing and shock resisting
capacities. Slouching when sitting, and poor posture when standing puts a
strain on parts of the back that were not designed to take pressure. In the
long-term, this leads to deterioration of the spine and can cause severe spine
pain.
This issue
is addressed by sitting upright: pull your shoulders back and sit in an upright
position – and you’re already on-the-mend. What makes this an awkward issue to
address in the long term is that the way you sit (and stand) is habitual; and
it will take consistent minor corrections to achieve good posture.
Exercising the Lower Back
Working on
your core once a week will have noticeable effects on your spine’s health.
Strengthening your intercostal and surrounding muscles will help balance your
spine and make it easier to lessen strain on your back. This will reduce strain
on the lower back. Low-impact exercise like walking can also help increase
blood flow to the lower back, activating and strengthening the area. If
exercising seems like an impossibility, then take to whatever you can. Do not
remain idle, get yourself moving somehow.
Daily Health Routines
Drink more
water. Stop smoking. Reduce alcohol intake.
For most of
us, these trivial pointers are always at the back of our minds. But why should
we care when it comes to spine health? The spine health’s reflects the overall
health of the body. Anything you can do to improve your overall fitness and
well-being will benefit you lumbar. The benefits of drinking water are lengthy,
and we won’t go into that here (however it is probably more poignant to mention
the disadvantages of not drinking water), smoking will reduce oxygen absorption
from the surrounding muscles and reduce muscular-capacity of surrounding
muscles, putting more strain on the spine, and finally, excessive alcohol
consumption has a serious detrimental effect on the entire
body, including the brain, the spine, the nervous system – and everything in-between.
body, including the brain, the spine, the nervous system – and everything in-between.
Our End Goal
Where
possible, one should attempt a synergy of all three aspects for optimized
results. Thankfully, once you have started it only gets easier. Strengthening
the core and activating the lower back will make the habitual process of
maintaining a good posture easier, and maintaining a good posture will make
strengthening the core easier. Following our dietary tips will speed along both
of these processes.
Our end goal
should be as follows: our hips should be above our feet – hip above knees –
shoulders above hip – head above shoulders. When this is achieved
unconsciously, you will have strengthened one of the most important areas of
your body.
If this routine does not help, or you
need medical attention, please contact us at Mount Sinai Department of
Rehabilitative Medicine. Contact our switchboard on: (212) 241-6321
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