7 Tips For Spine Health
Our spine health is so important especially now when many of us are working from home. We don’t always have the right ergonomic setup, with a proper chair and workspace, which can cause us a lot of pain.
Here are 7 tips to take care of your spine and back, to keep them healthy, happy and pain free!
1) POSTURE
Spine health is closely related to posture and alignment. It is the first thing we should check when we know our back pain is not from chronic illnesses or injury. Improper alignment can cause all kinds of aches and pains and even chronic illnesses over time.
Think about where your ears, shoulders, hips, knees and feet are!
Another tip is to limit your sitting time. Try to take breaks when sitting as often as you can, which is the perfect segue into my next point...
2) MOVE
The spine is meant to move! If you take my yoga classes, you will always hear me say that the spine can move in 6 directions: arching/extension, flexion, lateral/side to side, twist right and left. It is important for us to move as much as possible, doing gentle, slow controlled movements especially if you have back pain.
Not only is yoga great for back pain, but so is walking and swimming. When walking though, make sure to pay attention to what shoes you are wearing, as improper shoes with little support can contribute to aches and pains. Us women love our high heels and even though they look good, they're not good for us!
3) STRENGTHEN
Something that you may not even think about is keeping your core muscles strong, in the front and back: this means your abs, lower and upper back muscles. They are holding up our spine, and when they are weak, it puts pressure on our spine, contributing to pain. Hint: there are lots of postures in yoga to help you with that!
4) CAREFUL WITH ROUNDING
As we get older, disc herniation issues can happen naturally. However, we don’t have to be in pain! Many of us have disc issues and don’t even know. All the above tips can help you manage it to avoid suffering from the pain it can cause.
If we have a tendency for herniation, we need to be careful when rounding, as the condition can be exacerbated by rounding our spines.
5) STRETCH
Stretching our muscles can also improve our spine health. Not only the back muscles, but the hamstrings are especially important as well. Tight hamstrings can pull on the lower back and cause pain.
6) RELAX
Just as moving and stretching is important, we need to relax our back muscles too. Yoga poses can help with this too - as simple as lying on your back, with your knees bent, soles of your feet on the floor, and arms by your side. I call this the “spine relax” position.
Even when we are sleeping we should pay attention to the support we are getting from our pillow and mattress. Having a pillow between the hips can help to balance them and take pressure off of your back while you’re sleeping.
I also love massages! I think they are awesome for relaxing all of our muscles. It loosens them and increases our circulation, increasing the flow of nutrients to our muscles and soft tissues. They are great if you are experiencing any tension in your back.
7) HEALTHY DIET AND WEIGHT
Being at a healthy weight greatly contributes to spine health. Excess weight can put pressure on your spine, and what we eat contributes to our overall health.
Remember that back pain can also be caused by chronic illness, injury or conditions such as arthritis. If you think your back pain is due to any of these, be sure to consult your doctor.
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We share about how to navigate the changes taking place in our bodies and lives. We talk a lot about yoga, but also about keeping active, eating nourishing food, managing stress, and self care in its many forms!
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