Spine Health 101: Taking Care at Home
By Stepy Kamei
If you want to keep up a healthy lifestyle, there are some habits you need to add into your daily routine sooner rather than later to achieve this goal. You probably already know about the importance of eating a clean and nutritious diet, exercising on a regular basis, and taking care of your mental health. However, do you realize that maintaining a healthy spinal column is an incredibly important thing for you to do if you want better physical and mental well-being on a long-term scale? Spinal health is much more important than many of us realize. Once you understand why the spine is so important, you'll want to make sure you're doing everything you can to protect its health and well-being.
Why Does a Healthy Spine Matter?
The spine has incredibly important functions in the body. It provides support, balance, and stability, and it protects the central nervous system so it can facilitate communication between the body and the brain. If the spine is in poor health due to a misalignment, or vertebral subluxation, this can impact the entire body in a negative manner. The body may be thrown out of alignment, and strain may be put on the wrong muscles in order to compensate, which can cause inflammation, pain, and stiffness in the joints. What's more is that a misalignment can disrupt the signals flowing within the central nervous system, leading to a breakdown in communication for many of the body's other functions. Digestive health, blood pressure regulation, sleep cycles, stress levels, and the immune system may all experience problems as a result of poor spinal health.
Chiropractic aims to fix this through the use of manual manipulation techniques. These safe techniques are completely natural and involve using pressure to bring the spinal column back into its proper alignment.
Posture Is Also Important
One of the biggest influencers on the health of your spinal column is posture. Whether you're sitting, standing, or lying down, make sure you're always doing everything you can to keep your back as straight as it can be. Keep your shoulders rolled back to avoid hunching over. It can be helpful to set a rule for yourself that you can't stay in one position for longer than two hours. If you sit at a desk for work, use an alarm to tell yourself to get up and stretch at two-hour intervals. Feel free to ask a chiropractor at The Joint Chiropractic clinics for further advice on how to promote better spinal health.