World Spine Day - your back in action

HEALTHWISE

Today, millions of young people and adults around the world suffer from back pain. Few of the most common problems are low back pain, neck pain, scoliosis and disc disease. Spinal pain and disability can drastically affect a person’s overall health; it gets difficult to walk or even sit continuously for certain amount of time. Every year on October 16th people celebrate World Spine Day to raise awareness about spine health.

Researches show poor posture and inactivity are one of the major causes of back pain and other spinal disorders. According to the World Health Organization, one in four adults is not active enough and over 80 percent of adolescent population is not active enough. (Source: http://www.worldspineday.org/)

This year, the World Spine Day theme is “Your Back In Action”. The purpose of this day is to highlight the importance of physical activity and improving posture for maintaining a healthy back.

To prevent and treat back pain, you need to follow a good self-care routine and work on maintaining a posture that helps keep your spine as healthy as possible.

Let’s talk about the spine: in medical terminology, it is called a backbone or vertebral column. It consists of five segments named, cervical (neck), thoracic (upper and middle back), lumbar (lower back), sacral (pelvis) and coccyx (tail bone).

Good posture helps us stand, walk, sit, and lie in positions without straining our muscles and joints that help with movement. And for your back, correct posture and alignment is extremely important. As lumbar segment bears a major portion of your body weight, proper alignment of this region can prevent injury of vertebrae and discs.

Exercise and workout should be a part of your daily life. This is the precious thing that you can give to your body; regular exercise can reduce the risk and symptoms of several physical health conditions.

Correct sitting posture

• Make sure that the back is aligned with your chair. Avoid flexion and hyperextension as well.
• Keep your knees even with your hips. Keep your feet flat on floor. If you can’t, use foot rest.
• Don’t sit too long on chair. Get up, walk and stretch yourself.

Correct standing posture

• While standing, keep your shoulders and back aligned.
• Use stomach muscles to keep body straigher.
• Slightly bend your knees to relieve pressure on hips.
• Use quality shoes for better support.

Correct sleeping posture

• While lying down, keep pillows under your head, not shoulders. Try to lie in supine position. Avoid sleeping on stomach.

Standing, sitting and sleeping postures can’t be changed in a day or two. In the beginning, you’ll be bit uncomfortable but with time, you will feel better. You might find it difficult to get a correct posture and slip back into bad habits, but don’t give up.  Your efforts will definitely strengthen your spine and body.