3 Simple Ways to Indulge Your Spine

As the years add up, a lack of care for your spine can lead to pain and put you at risk for serious complications.

See Common Causes of Back Pain and Neck Pain

Your spine is strong and flexible, but it is a common source of back pain.
Read: Spinal Anatomy and Back Pain

To help alleviate your discomfort and prevent future injuries, make these 3 spinal indulgences part of your daily routine:

See Spinal Anatomy and Back Pain

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1. Take a walk

Low-impact aerobic exercises, like walking, provide numerous benefits for your spine. For example, a daily walk strengthens the core muscles that support your spine, nourishes your spine by spurring healing nutrients and oxygen to the area, improves your overall flexibility, and reinforces the bone structure of your spine.

See Low-Impact Aerobic Exercise

When you walk, make sure your practice good walking form. This means you need to walk with your shoulders straight, your head held up high, and your stomach slightly pulled in toward you.

See Techniques for Effective Exercise Walking

If you suffer from a spinal condition, get the okay from your doctor before starting a walking regimen. And if you’re not an experienced walker, or if you're dealing with severe pain, it’s a good idea to begin with several short walks every day and slowly build up to a single long walk.

See Exercise Walking for Better Back Health

2. Follow a healthy diet

You may not realize it, but the food you eat every day plays a significant role in determining the overall health of your spine. To indulge your spine, avoid excess amounts of saturated fats (found in many baked goods, fried foods, and butter and/or cream). It’s also a good idea to eliminate processed foods from your diet, and to limit your intake of liquid calories (i.e. calories from soda and coffee-based drinks).

In place of the above unhealthy foods, make sure to include plenty of fruits, vegetables, whole grains, and lean sources of protein into your diet.

See Food for Thought: Diet and Nutrition for a Healthy Back

It may be difficult to make multiple abrupt changes to your diet, so you can start by changing one simple thing per week. For example, the first week you can cut out sugary drinks from your diet.

See Lifestyle and Diet Tips for Healthy Bones

As an added bonus, a healthy diet will help you maintain a proper weight—which in turn can reduce the pressure on your spinal structures and minimize your back pain.

See Nutrition and Diet for Weight Loss

3. Use a standing desk

Sitting places 3 times as much pressure on the spinal discs in your lower back (lumbar spine) than standing. This means that excessive sitting can have serious consequences for your lumbar spine.

See The New Health Epidemic: Sitting Disease

One way to reduce the negative effects of sitting is to indulge your spine by using a standing desk for all, or part of, the day. Here is how you can get started:

• Standing desks can be expensive, so consider purchasing an affordable platform that you can place on top of your current desk.
• Make sure you also purchase a pair of shoes that you feel comfortable standing in for long periods of time.
• Set a goal of accomplishing one specific task per day using a standing desk. For example, you can answer your emails in the morning while standing.
• Add an additional task each week, and slowly you will build your way up to spending the majority of your day standing up.

See Ten Tips for Improving Posture and Ergonomics

The above 3 spinal indulgences may seem like small changes to your daily routine, but over time they can add up to meaningful relief.

Learn more:

Exercise and Back Pain

Pain Management for Chronic Back Pain

ABChiropractic Family & Wellness, located in St. Charles Missouri, is your home for fast pain relief and wellness for the whole family, invites all new patients to witness the benefits of Chiropractic care.  Call 636-916-0660 today and ask for our new patient special!

3 Little-Known Tips to Relieve Your Lower Back Pain on Road Trips

It’s no secret that car rides can be hard on your lower back—especially if you have to travel for an extended period of time.

The key to finding relief is to make a plan before you set off on your trip, and these 3 little-known tips can help you do exactly that:

1. Schedule regular stops for exercise

Sitting in one position for an extended period of time can tighten your back muscles, which in turn can lead to pain and even muscle spasms. So then, it’s a good idea to schedule stops every 30 to 60 minutes so you can walk around and stretch your lower back. This activity loosens your muscles and encourages blood circulation, bringing nutrients and oxygen to your lower back.

See Stretching for Back Pain Relief

In addition to scheduling regular stops, try adjusting the position of your seat every 15 to 20 minutes. You can also pump your ankles to stimulate blood flow and to provide a slight hamstring stretch. Basically, any movement that’s safe to perform while driving can contribute to the relief of your back pain.

See Specific Hamstring Stretches for Back Pain Relief

2. Bring a cold pack to relieve your lower back pain

More often than not, back pain is accompanied by inflammation. Applying a cold pack for 15 to 20 minutes can reduce this inflammation and numb sore tissues, both of which can relieve your pain.

See Early Treatments for Lower Back Pain 

Of course, finding relief through cold therapy on a road trip requires advanced planning. Here are a few simple options you can consider:

• Before you leave on your trip, fill a cooler with reusable ice packs. You can also make your own customizable ice packs at home and toss them in the cooler.
• Purchase instant ice packs at a pharmacy or general merchandise store. You can store these instant packs in the glove compartment of your car.
• If you’re in a pinch, you can purchase ice and plastic bags on your trip—just make sure the bags are leak-free.

Watch Video: How to Make 5 Quick and Easy Ice Packs

Regardless of which option you choose, remember to place a protective barrier between your skin and the cold pack to avoid ice burn.

See Ice Packs for Back Pain Relief 

3. Break up your trip into manageable stages

It seems counterintuitive, but sitting places more pressure on your spine than standing. So if your lower back pain is severe, consider breaking up your road trip into manageable stages. For example, rather than traveling 12 hours in one day, try 2 travel days instead. This strategy can help reduce the pressure on your spine—and it may encourage you to seek out unique tourist destinations. 

Of course, breaking up your trip may cost you additional time and money—but it’s worth it if you can avoid lower back discomfort.

I hope all of the above advice will help keep your lower back happy and healthy during your next road trip.

Learn more:

Common Causes of Back Pain and Neck Pain

Office Chair, Posture, and Driving Ergonomics

Call ABChiropractic Family & Wellness, your St. Charles Pain and Wellness Center at 636-916-0660.  We specialize in fast pain relief and wellness for the whole family.