How do you know if your spine is healthy? If you don’t have back pain, can you assume that you have a healthy back?
Did you know that many spinal health conditions and degenerative diseases can be pain-free? These conditions begin to cause pain only once a significant amount of damage has already been done. So, if we wait until there is pain, then we are already in trouble.
Not taking care of your spine until you have pain, is kind of like waiting until your teeth are decaying to start brushing them. Can you imagine your dentist telling you to only brush the tooth that hurts? …Or not to worry about your teeth until you see obvious signs of decay? Sounds crazy, doesn’t it? Unfortunately, many people don’t realize that, just like our teeth, our spine needs to be taken care of every single day in order to prevent pain and maintain spinal health and function.
There are four areas of the spine that you should be familiar with:
*cervical (neck)
*thoracic (mid-back)
*lumbar (low back)
*sacrum (tailbone)
Each of these areas house delicate nerves that travel to muscles, glands and specific organs. For example, nerves in the cervical and thoracic spine carry messages to the heart and lungs. Nerves in the low back innervate the intestines and reproductive organs. How vital do you think it is to ensure that these nerves and the spinal joints that protect them are functioning optimally?
Just like seeing your dentist, evaluating the health of your spine and nerve system starts with a spinal exam.
Here are five things you can do today to give your spine some TLC:
- Do some yoga or stretching to increase flexibility.
- Drink alkaline water to decrease inflammation.
- Get your spine moving with a form of exercise that you enjoy!
- Don’t sit for longer than 20 mins at a time.
- Pull out those spinal molding foams to reset your posture after computer work.
Dr. Ryan Doyle & the Backfit Team
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