Chiropractors’ Advice on How to Care For Your Spine

The spine is one of the most important bones in the body. It is what helps us stay upright, stand, walk, and move around. However, many do not give importance to the spine because they think it will remain healthy and strong even as we age. Truth is, as we grow old and put our body to a lot of physical stress, the spine, as well as all the bones in our body, loses its flexibility and become brittle over time. It is, therefore, very important to take care of the spine to avoid back and spinal problems that are more difficult to fix when already present.

As chiropractors deal with a lot of patients complaining about unhealthy, misaligned spine, here are some ways on how to properly care for the spine as suggested by expert chiropractors themselves.

1. Maintain good posture at all times. Your posture will play a significant part in shaping your spine. If you are always slouching, then, eventually, your spine and back will also be bending. To avoid this from happening, practice sitting up straight and standing with both feet on the ground. When your work requires you to sit down for long hours, make sure that use a comfortable, ergonomic chair, and stand up once in a while to avoid back pain.
2. Practice deep belly breathing that can help you maintain a healthy spine. You can do this by placing your hands on your abdomen and feeling your belly move when you inhale and exhale. Perform this type of exercise a couple of times a day to achieve a good posture and improve your overall spinal health. It is also ideal to reduce spinal and back pain and provide a sense of well-being.
3. Engage in regular exercise. This will not only strengthen your body overall, but improve your muscle, bones, and nerve functions. According to studies, exercise is key to achieving a healthy spine and preventing lower back pain due to immobility. The ideal frequency of exercising is once a day for 30 minutes to one hour. You will be surprised with the result that your body will feel better, more flexible, and less susceptible to injuries.
4. Sleep using supportive pillows and mattress. The type of material you sleep on affects your spine’s health. Lying down on a mattress that is too hard or too soft can add stress to your spine and may lead to back ache and/or stiff neck. Choose pillows and mattresses that support your back and provide comfort whichever sleeping position you choose.
5. Visit your chiropractor regularly. Chiropractic care aims to align the spine and removes any vertebral subluxations or damage in the nervous system. When the spine is aligned and the nervous system is free from any injury, you will feel balance among your body organs and achieve optimal health.

Remember, your spine plays an important role in your mobility and overall function. And as it is connected to the brain, your mental ability may also be affected if your spine gets injured or damaged. By following the tips above, you can be sure that your spine will remain healthy and well.

Slipped disc is a condition where the vertebral disc has been misaligned, displaced, or partially protruded, pressing the nerves close to it and causing back pain. Most people experiencing slipped disc will start to feel pain on one side of the body and gradually worsening over time. Additionally, the pain worsens when one sneezes, coughs, or sits down.

Slipped disc usually happens when the connective tissues around the vertebral disc breaks down. However, the actual causes of the break down have not yet been identified. Common assumptions and beliefs say that aging and wearing and tearing of the body organs may be the reasons why people experience slipped disc.

As one gets older, the spinal discs become more brittle and less flexible, thus, they can easily get displaced. Plus, with these other factors and habits that add pressure to the spine, slipped disc will indeed be a possible ill-condition to aging and physically fatigued individual:

• Bending and twisting the body awkwardly
• Doing jobs that involve heavy and/or awkward lifting
• Doing jobs that involve sitting for long hours, such as driving and office work
• Being obese or overweight
• Smoking
• Playing sports or doing exercises that involve carrying heavy weights
• Suffering from a traumatic back injury, such as falling or being in a car accident

As chiropractors deal with many patients suffering from slipped disc and do spinal adjustments, they provide the best advice on how to deal with such condition. If you are enduring the pain caused by slipped disc, here are some of the most effective ways to manage it as recommended by expert chiropractors:

1. Identify and avoid pain triggers. There may be some activities or movements that when you do, can worsen the pain. You have to know what these activities are and avoid them as much as possible so that you can limit the pain.
2. Reduce stress. When you are stressed, fatigued, or tired, your body weakens and the pain magnifies. Just relax and do some breathing exercises that will help you calm your mood and avoid feeling additional pain.
3. Increase your fluid intake to reduce the inflammation. Additionally, make sure you are eating healthy foods and balanced diet, and, as much as possible, avoid fibrin consumption with proteolytic enzymes.
4. Engage in heat and cold therapy to help stop pain spasms, improve range of motion, and enhance blood flow.
5. Maintain correct posture by doing regular stretching and exercises that target specific muscle imbalances.
6. Therapeutic massages, physical therapy, and rehabilitative exercises and significantly improve your condition and reduce pain. Consult with an expert first to identify the right massages and exercises for your condition.
7. Have a regular visit to your chiropractor. Chiropractic care specifically aims to restore spinal and nerve functions. Make sure that you engage in regular spinal adjustments that will align your spine and remove vertebral subluxations that cause pain. You will be surprised that, in no time, you will be back to your active and healthy self.
8. Finally, if your condition is somehow affecting your mood and perception, you may also consider seeing a mental health counselor. He or she will help you rethink and recognize your beliefs and expectations about yourself.

By following the above smart and practical pieces of advice, you will be on your way to fast recovery and health restoration.