The importance of looking after your spine

Lots of people know the importance of looking after your heart, as it pumps blood around your body, gets oxygen to your muscles, and re-oxygenates the blood after you’ve used it. There are hundreds of articles out there telling you the importance of this. However, there are equally important parts of your body that you need to look after. In this article, I’m going to be talking about one in particular. One part of your body that holds you upright. Without it, you wouldn’t be able to do anything. Have you guessed what it is yet? Your spine.

Your spine is in all senses of the word, the backbone of all of the functions you use to live every day. Sleeping, moving, lifting, pushing. None of it is possible without your spine. When you don’t look after it and respect your spine the way it should be respected, you end up with massive problems. Problems that are hard to fix. There have been numerous attempts to fix people's spines after they have had an accident. Lots of procedures over the year have had to be banned due to their risks - this includes a Medtronic spinal cord stimulator recall

Your spine has several major jobs:

• It protects your central nervous system and specifically your spinal cord and nerve roots.
• It provides you with a structural support system and helps you maintain your balance and keeps your posture upright.
• Enables your body to flex and move

Looking after your spine is much simpler than any of your organs, if you follow these tips you will be giving yourself the best possible chance of maintaining a healthy spine.

Lift with the proper technique

When you are lifting something, no matter what the weight, you need to use the right technique. If not, you may twist your spine in the wrong way, causing severe damage that can be life-crippling. The correct technique is to bend at the knees, stand as close as possible and live using your legs, and keep your back as straight as possible.

Adequate sleep

Making sure you get enough sleep is important, during your sleep your body repairs itself. If possible, make sure your mattress is supportive and your pillows are designed to give your neck the proper support. (1)

Stay a healthy weight

Your back is designed to carry loads of a healthy normal-weight human. If you are obese, you put more stress on your spine than it was naturally designed for. This will add stress to your muscles, nerves, ligaments, and bones of the spinal area. A lifestyle with lots of healthy eating and exercise is a great way to stop this happening.

As a rule, try and think about what effect your activities are having on your spine. As long as you ensure that you are thinking about your back, you are much less likely to do something silly to injure it. Back injuries are very easy to cause and are often then lifelong problems. Do yourself a favor, think about your back! (2)