Simple Ways to Improve Your Spine Health

And Reduce Back Pain

Have you been struggling with persistent back pain? Do you ever feel like your spine isn’t as mobile as it used to be? While these issues can be frustrating, the team at Rising Sun Physical Therapy is here to help you improve your spinal health!

There’s no denying the benefits of a healthy spine. It’s your body’s main support system — literally! It keeps you upright and connects all the parts of your skeleton so you can walk, dance, groom yourself, and do everything you need and want to do. It also protects your spinal cord, which connects your brain to the rest of your body.

With all that the spine does for you, it’s no surprise that it greatly impacts your overall health and wellness. For example, do you want to know another benefit of a healthy spine? It can help reduce back pain and minimize the risk of a back injury.

Today, the physical therapists at Rising Sun Physical Therapy want to share a few of our favorite tips for keeping your spine healthy and happy.

Three Tips for Improving Your Spine Health

1. Address Your Posture

Maintaining good posture helps reduce stress on your spinal vertebrae and the surrounding back muscles. However, many people don’t quite understand what “good posture” means. They think of their parents as telling them to stand up straight, but proper posture is more about keeping your spine in alignment.

Our physical therapists can perform comprehensive postural assessments and help you understand what a proper posture means for you and your body. Moreover, we’ll show you tips for maintaining postural awareness throughout the day to keep your spine aligned, whether sitting at a computer or going for a jog.

2. Stay Active

Prolonged sitting puts a lot of stress on your spine, especially your lumbar spine. In fact, prolonged postures, in general, including standing, can negatively affect your spinal health. So when we say “stay active” in this context, we’re not just talking about exercise (although that’s important, too). We mean changing your posture.

For example, do you work at a desk job? Set a timer to ensure you get up and move around every 30-45 minutes. Walk around the office or do a few stretches beside your desk. If you have a standing desk or work in retail, make sure you’re also moving your spine every half hour –twisting, bending, or extending movements can all help. And don’t skip those walking breaks!

3. Target Your Core

Core strength is another crucial factor in good spinal health. While many people associate their core with their abdominals, the term actually refers to several different muscles, including the back and deep internal core muscles that support and stabilize the spine.

A strong core controls spinal mobility from the body’s center, helping you maintain an upright position and perform arm and leg movements.

Targeting the core, then, isn’t about doing endless crunches to improve your abs. Instead, it involves exercises that help all your core muscles effectively coordinate with each other. Our physical therapists can help you develop a targeted core workout that targets the right muscles to improve spinal health and ensure you’re performing all exercises correctly.

Other Ways Rising Sun Physical Therapy Can Help Improve Your Spinal Health

If you’re dealing with persistent back pain, improving your spinal health can help reduce your discomfort and often addresses the pain at its source. Our physical therapists will work closely with you to determine why you’re experiencing back pain and create a personalized program to minimize discomfort, improve mobility, and strengthen your back and core muscles.

While every plan is different, here’s a general overview of what you can expect:

A Comprehensive Assessment

• This helps us determine the cause of your pain. You might have an injury, such as a back strain, or developed a herniated disc. Or your pain might stem from postural strain. Either way, we’ll figure out what’s going on.

Pain Management

• We offer several drug-free options for managing back pain so you can more easily follow your treatment plan. For example, manual therapy can alleviate pain and improve mobility. Class IV laser therapy is another good option, helping to relieve both acute and chronic pain and facilitating the body’s healing processes.

Therapeutic Exercise Program

1. We’ll create a program of targeted exercises to mobilize the spine and strengthen the surrounding muscles. This will generally include exercises at our clinic and simple exercises you can perform at home.

LIfestyle Adjustments

• We can also show you simple lifestyle changes (like creating an ergonomic desk set-up) to further minimize back pain and improve spinal health.

No matter your needs, the Rising Sun Physical Therapy team is here to find the best solutions to address your back pain and keep your spine healthy!

How Ergonomics Can Improve Spinal Health

Working at your desk all day can take a big toll on your spine, leading to back pain and other discomfort. Fortunately, ergonomic adjustments can help minimize some of these risks.

Three Spine-Friendly Ergonomic Adjustments You Can Start Doing Today

Adjust Your Chair Height

When your chair is at its proper height, your feet should be flat on the floor and your knees at a 90-degree angle. This helps keep your spine in a neutral position. Can’t adjust your chair? Try a footrest to bring the floor to you.

Adjust Your Monitor Height

The height of your computer monitor is also important in keeping your spine neutral. The top should be at or slightly below eye level, about an arm’s length away.

Set a Timer

If you’re an office worker, one of the best things you can do for your spine health is to get up and move around. Set a time to go off every 30-45 minutes for a movement break.

Working at a desk doesn’t mean you have to live with persistent back pain! These tips can help, but if you’d like more personalized guidance, schedule an appointment at Rising Sun Physical Therapy!