Six tips for maintaining spine health as you age

Here are 6 of the best tips:

1. Open up your spine. It’ s difficult to keep your spine moving when you spend long stretches of your day stooped in front of a computer but this is something you really should factor into your day, regardless of how busy you are. Make sure you keep your spine moving by taking short breaks to stretch your muscles. A short walk around the office every couple of hours should keep your spine open.
2. Complete strengthening exercises every morning and night. A simple exercise is to lie on the floor and make snow angels by moving your arms slowly for short intervals. To increase the intensity of the stretch, place a rolled up towel underneath your spine. If you suffer with any back pain or discomfort, do not complete any exercises until you ’ ve had your spine seen by an Osteopath.
3. Maintain a healthy weight. Excessive weight is not the exclusive cause of back pain but it can worsen existing conditions. Carrying over and above what is healthy can place your spinal muscles and ligaments under additional stress. To compensate for the extra load, the spine can tilt unevenly which results in an unnatural curvature of the spine over time. This can lead to pain and discomfort over time. Some people who have lost weight have discovered their back condition improves considerably or disappears altogether.
4. Sit straight. Most office jobs today involve long periods in front of a computer and if this is how you spend your day, try to practice good posture by sitting tall with your shoulders dropped. A good work station will promote this posture and it can be helpful to take up an exercise class like Pilates to help you maintain good posture and strengthen your core. The core muscles are your abdomen and pelvic area and by strengthening them you can reduce the risk of injury.
5. Support your spine. Women typically experience weakening in the muscles and ligaments surrounding the spine following menopause and occasionally during their periods.You can fight this with exercise, which will strengthen these areas, leaving them less susceptible to trauma. If you ’ re not sure what kind of exercises will help, consult an osteopath or book a consultation with a fitness expert or personal trainer at your local gym.
6. Stay active. While it can become harder to motivate ourselves as we age, there ’ s never a better time to keep fit and mobile. Swimming and other low impact sports can maintain flexibility and movement in the spine. This is why Osteopaths never prescribe bed rest for those with back pain or injury – it ’ s the surest way of weakening the muscles.

Aside from deterioration through age, a number of degenerative conditions can contribute to spine pain including arthritis. Osteopathy can help relieve pain and symptoms in such conditions, we can also assist with arranging the necessary diagnostic scans.