Have you heard of the 'Support Your Spine' theme this year? This 2024 theme is all about raising awareness of spinal health and encouraging people to keep their spine healthy. But what's the spine?

Your spine is a miraculous, elegantly balanced system that does more than just support your back. Gently curved in an S-shape, your spine balances your neck, chest, pelvis, and lower back, keeping your head, trunk, and legs aligned. 

What if your spine and back start acting up, and you suffer from pain? Deteriorating spinal health or lower back pain can affect your body’s functioning. You can prevent this from happening by focusing on maintaining a healthy back and spine.

Wondering about how to preserve your back and spine’s health and prevent pain in these body parts? This blog will discuss some effective tips for keeping your back and spine in great shape and helping you prevent pain and discomfort.

How to Maintain a Healthy Spine?

Most people are prone to be bothered by back pain, spinal degradation, or discomfort at some stage in their life. But can you do anything to preserve the health of your back and spine for long? Here are some effective tips for a healthy spine and back:

1. Practice Good Posture

A lot of people know maintaining a good posture is a healthy habit and one of the best natural lower back pain therapies, but not all follow this advice.  When you slouch or hunch over, your spine’s natural curves are disrupted, leading to misalignment, muscle strain, and increased risk of back pain.

In contrast, when maintaining a good posture, your neck, spine, and legs are in proper alignment, which reduces unnecessary strain on your back muscles and spinal discs, and as a result, provides back pain relief. Hence, this reduced stain on your spinal and back muscles can help you avoid discomfort and injury in the long-term. 

If you feel stiffness in your spine or back, you should do stretching and yoga to improve spinal flexibility and posture. Regular stretching can improve blood flow to the spinal disc and keep your spine limber, reducing the risk of developing upper or lower back pain.

2. Build Core Strength

If you are wondering how to maintain a healthy spine, building your core strength should be one of your top priorities! Your core muscles comprise the abdominis, multifidus, diaphragm, transverse, pelvic muscles, glutes, erector spinae, and obliques. Your core muscles stabilise your spine by distributing weight appropriately across your pelvis, spine, and kinetic chain. By transferring weight from your upper to lower body and absorbing shocks, your core muscles protect your spine from excessive loads and lessen lower back discomfort. 

One of the best ways to fix your back pain naturally is to focus on maintaining the health of your spine at all times. You should also be careful while lifting anything heavy. When lifting anything heavy, bend your knees and lift with your legs, not your back. Also, avoid twisting your torso while lifting heavy objects. 

3. Avoid a Sedentary Lifestyle

Sitting for extended periods can weaken the muscles that support your spine, leading to poor posture and increased risk of back pain. So, how do you break free of your sedentary routine? Here are some tips:

• Take breaks every 30 to 60 minutes to stand up, walk around, or stretch.

• Use a standing desk or take phone calls while standing to reduce your sitting time.

• Use stairs rather than the elevator.

4. Maintain a Healthy Weight

Excess weight, particularly around the midsection, can strain your lower back and contribute to spinal misalignment. You can reduce this extra pressure on your spine and prevent chronic lower back pain by maintaining a healthy weight.

Here’s how you can maintain a healthy weight:

Balanced Diet	You should have natural, unadulterated foods and add fruits, vegetables, lean proteins, and whole grains to your diet to reduce weight.
Regular Exercise	Cut off your excess fat by regularly doing a workout. You can include walking, swimming, weight exercises, cycling, or other aerobic exercises for better results.
Lifestyle Changes	Say no to smoking and alcohol, sleep at night on time, become less sedentary, and drink lots of water to lose weight.

Summing Up

If you’re experiencing spinal or back health issues, then don’t ignore it. These health problems typically don’t go away on their own and need your attention. Following the tips in this blog can help you improve your spinal and back health and offer lower back pain relief. But if you suffer from persistent back pain and are worried that it could be more serious, consult an expert orthopaedic doctor as soon as possible!

FAQs

1. What does a healthy spine have?

A healthy spine has proper alignment, strong muscles, and flexibility, supporting movement and protecting the spinal cord.

2. How can I get a healthy spinal posture?

Maintain a neutral spine, practice good ergonomics, exercise regularly, and avoid slouching while sitting or standing.

3. What do you think a healthy back allows you to do?

A healthy back enables pain-free movement, proper posture, and the ability to perform daily activities efficiently.

4. Which food is best for the spine?

Foods rich in calcium, vitamin D, magnesium, and omega-3s, like leafy greens, salmon, nuts, and dairy, support spinal health.

5. What makes your spine weak?

Poor posture, lack of exercise, smoking, nutrient deficiencies, and prolonged inactivity can weaken the spine.

Citations

1. De Luca, K., Tavares, P., Yang, H., Hurwitz, E. L., Green, B. N., Dale, H., & Haldeman, S. (2023). Spinal Pain, Chronic Health Conditions and Health Behaviors: Data from the 2016–2018 National Health Interview Survey. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 20(7), 5369. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph20075369

2. Gordon, R., & Bloxham, S. (2016). A Systematic Review of the Effects of exercise and Physical activity on Non-Specific Chronic Low Back Pain. Healthcare, 4(2), 22. https://doi.org/10.3390/healthcare4020022

3. Jung, K., Jung, J., In, T., & Cho, H. (2020). Effects of Prolonged Sitting with Slumped Posture on Trunk Muscular Fatigue in Adolescents with and without Chronic Lower Back Pain. Medicina, 57(1), 3. https://doi.org/10.3390/medicina57010003

4. Kim, D., Cho, M., Park, Y., & Yang, Y. (2015). Effect of an exercise program for posture correction on musculoskeletal pain. Journal of Physical Therapy Science, 27(6), 1791–1794. https://doi.org/10.1589/jpts.27.1791

5. Lee, C. A., Jang, H., Moon, J. E., & Han, S. (2021). The Relationship between Change of Weight and Chronic Low Back Pain in Population over 50 Years of Age: A Nationwide Cross-Sectional Study. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 18(8), 3969. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph18083969

6. Shokri, P., Zahmatyar, M., Tafti, M. F., Fathy, M., Tolzali, M. R., Jolfayi, A. G., Nejadghaderi, S. A., Sullman, M. J. M., Kolahi, A., & Safiri, S. (2023). Non‐spinal low back pain: Global epidemiology, trends, and risk factors. Health Science Reports, 6(9). https://doi.org/10.1002/hsr2.1533

7. Spine Health: Posture and Workplace Ergonomics | National Spine Health Foundation. (2024, July 10). National Spine Health Foundation. https://spinehealth.org/article/spine-posture-workplace-ergonomics/#:~:text=Slouching%2C%20hunching%20forward%2C%20and%20rounding,that%20act%20as%20shock%20absorbers.