Your spine is essentially
the chain that forms the ‘backbone’ of your entire body. Without it you would
be a blob of muscles, organs and soft tissue piled on the floor.
Your spine commands respect
because it is the pillar that supports your body, allows you to walk, stand and
sit, as well as touch and feel; because it forms the canal connecting the
nerves from your body and limbs, to your brain. While your heart may be the
vital organ that keeps you alive, without your spine you wouldn’t be able to
move.
There are three natural
curves in your spine that give it an "S" shape when viewed from the
side. These curves help the spine withstand great amounts of stress by
distributing your body weight. Between the bony vertebra are spongy discs that
act as shock absorbers. The lumbar spine (or lower back) connects the
thoracic spine to the pelvis, and bears the bulk of your body's weight.
Your spine is not rigid
though. It allows movement through the intervertebral joints connecting the
bony vertebra. These joints allow you to twist, to bend forward and backward,
and from side to side. Large groups of muscles surrounding the spine, pelvis,
hips and upper body all interact to allow for movements like walking, running,
jumping, and swimming.
However, there are also
muscles deep in your body that work constantly just to maintain your posture
when you’re sitting and standing. It is essential that all elements of the
spinal ‘chain’ work harmoniously together to ensure fluid movement without
overloading structures resulting in injury and pain.
Any link in the chain that
becomes ‘stuck’ will not only affect that spinal level but also the movement
and strength of the chain above and below it. If the muscles around the spine
are uneven in strength and length (flexibility) this too can affect the
‘chain’, altering the alignment and motion of the links.
Taking care of your spine now will help you lower the
chances of experiencing back pain later. Many of the steps you can take to
improve the overall health of your spine involve nothing more than practicing
better body mechanics, or how you move and hold yourself, when you do daily
tasks and activities.
Taking Care of Your Spine
Pay attention to early warning signs or pain. Although
back pain is very common and nearly every person will experience at least one
episode of back pain in a lifetime, it is essential to address any symptoms
promptly.
It has also been shown in studies that early treatment
and rehabilitation can prevent recurrent bouts of back pain and prevent the
development of chronic lower back pain which can be very debilitating,
stressful and depressing. It can affect your ability to work, play sport,
socialise and sleep, all of which
can further compound your pain cycle.
Your back pain could be due to inflamed ligaments,
damaged intervertebral discs, nerve irritation, bony formations on the spine,
muscle imbalances such as weakness or a lack of flexibility, leg length
differences, or muscle strains, to name just a few. Even the way we move (or
don’t move) at work, school or sport can all be an underlying cause to the
current pain.
How Osteopathy Can Help
with Back Pain
Your Osteopath can treat the pain or stiffness experienced
from back pain using massage, soft tissue mobilisation, spinal manipulation,
heat, acupuncture and other devices.
It is important that you, together with your Osteopath
work through a rehabilitation programme (specific exercises and stretches) to
correct underlying muscle weaknesses, flexibility issues, and the sequence in which the muscles around your
spine work to provide stability. A Osteopath
can also give you advice on correcting posture / technique for work and sport.
Should you need referral to another professional your Osteopath
can also help with this, for example, a dietician to counsel on a meal plan to
achieve a healthy body weight. Being active can also help prevent as well as
cure back pain.
Chat to us today about what we can do to help, email info@chartclinic.co.uk
or call 01737 248 023.
Back Pain and Sleep Issues
One of the most common issues back pain sufferers
experience is sleep disruption so we have put together an interactive Back Pain
and Sleep Guide to help you banish those sleepless nights and wake up feeling
refreshed.
The guide
includes:
·
6 Strategies for
Improving Your Sleep
·
8 bedtime
stretches to relieve back pain (with video links)
·
Sleeping
positions that will help relieve pain (with links to videos)
·
7 Yoga Poses that
will help cure most back pain issues
·
A morning stretch
routine that will help ease pain from a restless night (with videos)
CLICK THIS LINK TO FIND OUT MORE AND DOWNLOAD THE GUIDE
HERE
Disclaimer: This
information is intended as general guidance and information only and should not
be relied upon as a basis for planning individual medical care or as a
substitute for specialist medical advice in each individual case.
