If you have a healthy spine, the chances are you will be generally physically healthy. Spinal issues will affect all other parts of your body and make it a challenge to feel comfortable. It can cause chronic pain, along with a whole host of other issues.
As such, keeping your spine healthy should be a top priority. Here are four ways to ensure your spine stays healthy forever:
Improve your posture
Focus on improving your posture to keep your spine healthy. This means your spine should sit in its natural alignment, with the trademark s-curve. Problems usually occur when your thoracic spine (in the middle of your back) curves forward too much, due to excessive sitting or typing at a keyboard. This then also leads to your lumbar spine (lower back) arching too much. Both issues cause chronic pain and a range of other problems throughout your body. So, focus on maintaining a neutral spine – there are loads of online resources to help you do that.
Stand up and stay active
Avoid sitting for long periods to keep your spine as healthy as possible. Sitting down puts a lot of pressure on some of the joints in your spine, particularly in the lower back. Plus, it leads to shortened hip flexors, which attach to your spine and start pulling your lumbar spine out of alignment. Standing up and staying active can prevent this, letting your spine stretch out and stay healthy.
Mobilise your spine
Spinal mobility is crucial. Your spine can move in many ways – it can rotate, bend forward, arch backwards, and bend to either side. Make it your mission to introduce some spinal mobility work into your daily routine. Work on keeping the joints in your spine mobile to avoid them from stiffening up and causing pain. Thoracic mobility is perhaps the biggest one to focus on as it is very easy for the mid-back to size up and get stiff.
Seek treatment when necessary
The worst thing you can do is acknowledge that you have back pain, then do nothing about it. Too many people just learn to suffer, when really they need to seek treatment. As it shows on sydneyspinepain.com, there are so many different conditions you can suffer from relating to your spine. You need to get the right treatment to deal with your issues before they become too problematic. The longer you leave your spine in a bad state, the worse it will become. Then, it gets even harder for you to correct it. Don’t suffer on your own; get treatment when you spot any issues in your back.
Keep your spine healthy by following these four pieces of wisdom. Honestly, the first one is the main one to focus on; if you have good posture, your spine should always be healthy. Unfortunately, many of us suffer from poor posture, leading to rounded backs and chronic pain when we’re older. Do your research and put together a daily/weekly routine that focuses on improving your posture.
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