Most people experience back pain at some point in their lives, however, for many, the pain is persistent and hard to manage. Taking measures to keep a healthy spine is able to help you avoid pain or relieve the distress you are already going through.
Whether you are recovering from a spinal injury or taking actions to stop future back pain, these four tips can help you keep a healthy spine.
1. Maintain a Strong Core
A strong core will encourage your spine and keep stress off your lower back. If you spend the majority of your day sitting or lead a sedentary lifestyle, you will have a difficult time maintaining your abdominal and back muscles strong and healthy.
Make it a point to add core exercises in your fitness routine. Some killer core exercises include:
- Bicycle kicks
- Reverse plank with alternating leg lifts
- Marching bridge
- Superman plank
- Side plank with leg lifts
Maintaining a healthy weight and staying active in general is important. Being overweight or obese will put excess pressure on the spine and the lower back.
2. Rest Your Spine While You Sleep
How you sleep and also the mattress you sleep on will have an impact your spinal health and whether or not you wake up in pain.
The backbone works hard all day to maintain your spine aligned. When it comes to time to rest, you would like all of those ligaments and muscles to relax and have enough time to replenish. The ideal mattress and pillow can help you to get the restful night of sleep your spine needs.
Select a mattress that offers healthy support for the spine. You’ll need to consider your sleeping position when choosing a pillow.
- Side sleepers: Very firm
- Back sleepers: Firm
- Stomach sleepers: Soft and thin
It’s worth the extra cost to invest in a good quality mattress that won’t leave you waking up with back pain in the morning.
3. Have a Massage
Having regular massages can help not only alleviate stress, but also increase endorphins, which are natural painkillers. Treating yourself to a relaxing massage may also enhance blood flow, allowing more nutrients to get to the affected region and accelerate healing.
If you wish to take complete advantage of the benefits of massage, then consider investing in your own massage chair so that you can use it any time you desire.
4. Limit Your Sitting Time And Practice Good Posture
Humans were made to move — not to sit all day. But unfortunately, most people end up sitting in a chair, at a desk or in a car for most of the day.
Sitting down puts three times more stress on your spine than when standing. To make matters worse, we’ve got a tendency to slouch or lean forward when we sit at a desk, which can aggravate the discs in the spine much more.
If you have to sit during the day, whether for work or for some other reason, make it a point to sit properly. Practicing good posture while you sit can help alleviate some of the pressure on the spine.
Invest in an ergonomic desk chair, and make it a point to get up at least once an hour to walk around and stretch your legs.
