“You are the age of your spine. You are as flexible as your spine. That transfers to other areas of your life.” Diane Lane

In the previous post “Why knowing about spine is so important“. we read about the importance of the Spinal Column and why it is important to keep the spine fit and healthy? In this post, we will check out some preventive measures and care to keep the spine healthy.

Lifestyle:

1. Choose your mattress and pillow spine-friendly.
2. Your shoe and walking style impact spine. Check for an Orthopaedic insert if required to balance the posture.
3. Use proper sitting chair. The discs in your lower spine are loaded 3 times more while sitting than standing, so long periods of sitting can create or aggravate a painful back condition.
4. The new saying is Sitting is the new smoking. Avoid long hours of sitting and even if you need to sit, get up and walk around after every 20-25 minutes. Do some stretches. Standing to work is a new norm in many offices.
5. Less weight means less stress on the spine.
6. Smoking is not good for your spine too. Smoking increases the degenerative process of the spine. Smoking also damages the vascular structure of the spine discs and joints.
7. Lift the weight correctly. Improper and careless about lifting weight can severely damage the spine. The spine health institute recommends not lifting weights more than 25% of the body weight.

Exercise:

1. Regular exercise is necessary to keep the spine healthy.
2. Core muscles, i.e. abdomen and lower back support spine load. Unless these core muscles are strong, the spine will suffer. Therefore we have to do specific exercise to make these core muscles stronger, otherwise, these core muscles will become weaker and spine will be damaged with overuse.
3. Regular Yogasana is a boon for the spine health. Asana like Vajrasana, Padmasana, Marjarasana, Hastapadasana, Sulabh Halasana, Sarvangasana, Sulabh Bhujangasana, Shalabhasana, Tadasana and Parvatasana are some of the select asanas can be learned from a trained teacher and practiced daily for a healthy spine.

Food:

1. Eat good food, avoid processed food and aerated cold drinks. Soft drink wears down bones, contributing to Osteoporosis.
2. Eat anti-inflammatory food and vitamin D for strong bones
3. Inflammation is very bad for the health and also bones. Eat fruits like cherries, berries, pomegranate, grapes, and watermelons are nutritious fruits good for the spine.
4. Eat food rich in calcium like milk, yogurt, and banana.
5. Proper hydration is important. Low hydration causes the spinal disc to lose height and this will cause back pain. Herniated disks, also known as slipped disks, occur when the loss of fluid causes the disks to become fragile and eventually slip out of place. According to the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons, a herniated disk is the most common cause of sciatica, a specific type of back pain that radiates down one of the legs.

All in all, do whatever it takes but unhealthy spine is not a happy situation, rather it is a painful situation. This pain will be sustained for a long time and can cause many more physical deformities.

Consult a doctor immediately in case you have any back-related pain or problem. Delaying the diagnosis and treatment can not only delays the treatment but also increases damage. Prevention is better than cure is aptly applicable to spine health too.

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