Three Ways To Improve Back Health If You Work A Desk Job

Posted on April 6, 2018 by admin

Many Americans work in stationary jobs. Whether you’re implementing healthcare services or developing software, sitting at a desk for hours at a time can take a toll on your health. If you are interested in finding a few ways to combat back pain from sitting for long periods of time, you’ve come to the right place. Here are a few ways to keep you back healthy even if you need to sit for long stretches of your day.

Choose Your Furniture Wisely

If your job requires you to sit down for hours on end, it’s important to have comfortable and functional office furniture. Having chairs that are at the wrong height or not supportive can aggravate your body when you use them for long stretches of time. Finding a good office chair that gives your body good support and ensuring it is at the right height for your desk is a great way to fight this. You may also consider a standing desk!

Get Moving

Keeping your body in motion is another good strategy for fostering your back health. Finding ways to incorporate activity into your day can be great for your back. This may mean making time for a brisk walk during your lunch break and getting into a fitness routine you can stick to. Incorporating some weight-bearing exercises or yoga poses to combat back pain can also be a good strategy!

[Related: Top Five Worst Jobs for Back Pain]

Visit A Chiropractor

Choosing a good chiropractor can do wonders for your back health. Spencer Chiropractic takes a holistic approach to spine health where we not only focus on your back but on your full-body health. Having a chiropractor on your side can help ease your pain and keep your spine in line to ultimately feel happier and healthier.

Sitting at a desk for multiple hours per day can take a toll on your health but it doesn’t have to. Be sure to incorporate a few of the above practices into your routine to reduce pain and foster back health!

What Do Normal Spine Curve and Alignment Look Like?

Posted on December 22, 2017 by admin

Many people of various ages struggle with posture issues and related back pain. Alignment issues can manifest themselves many different ways, from the mildly inconvenient to the debilitating. Your spine (and the muscles that surround it) is at the root of all these problems.

Proper spinal curve and alignment are essential for a healthy back and optimal wellbeing. But before we explore what chiropractic treatment can do for you, you should know a bit about what a healthy spine looks like.

What is the Natural Shape of the Spine?

Looking at your spine from behind, it should appear straight up and down with no deviations. Any small or large curves in your spine to the left or right from this angle may be investigated as potential Scoliosis.

From the side, your spine should make a gentle “S” shape. The spine has t hree main curves. Your neck and your lower back should have a slight concave curve (curved in toward the front of the body). These two parts of your spine are called the cervical spine and lumbar spine, respectively. Your upper back, known as the thoracic spine, should have a convex curve (in which the spine curves out behind you).

Abnormal Spinal Shape

Lordosis is a condition that refers to an excessive inward curve of the spine, and Kyphosis refers to an abnormally exaggerated outward curve. However, these terms may also be used to describe the natural curvature of the spine.

Posture

Now that you know the basics of what a healthy back looks like, you and your chiropractor can get to work making a change. A critical factor to keep in mind is proper posture. Posture can be an indicator of spine health and an important tool in addressing issues.

As you move forward in your chiropractic treatment (or any accompanying treatments prescribed by your doctor), you will begin to experience reduced pain and mitigate future spinal alignment or posture issues.

Contact our office today to begin your journey toward optimal alignment and increased health!

Yoga Poses to Combat Back Pain

Posted on December 12, 2017 by admin

Chronic pain in your back can quickly diminish your overall quality of life. Many people try to manage pain at home with over-the-counter pain relievers, but their efficacy may diminish over time. You’ll have better results if you address the underlying issue contributing to your back pain, instead of simply covering up the pain.

There are many ways to approach reducing your back pain. Among the most popular and least invasive options is low-impact yoga, which features poses to stretch and strengthen your back.

Chiropractic care can magnify improvements that result from regular yoga. Professional adjustments can decrease pain and improve your flexibility and range of motion. Combining the following poses with regular chiropractic visits can dramatically reduce your overall pain level.

Cat and Cow Poses

These two poses are often combined with one another to create a flowing motion that stretches and activates much of your spine.

Position yourself on your hands and knees with your back and hips in a neutral position. From there, you arch and round your back while gently dropping your head. This is called Cat Pose.

After holding for a few seconds, slowly drop your back, exaggerating the downward curve in your lumbar area while lifting your head. This is Cow Pose. Continue to rotate between the two.

Downward Facing Dog Pose

Downward Facing Dog is a somewhat more complex pose in which you create a triangle with your arms and your legs with your rear facing upward. So long as you keep your shoulders down and your core and arms engaged, this pose can provide both a wonderful back stretch and release of tense muscles in the lower back.

Triangle Pose

Starting with your feet slightly more than hip width apart, aim your front foot forward and your rear foot facing subtly outward and toward the side. Holding your arms up at shoulder level, reach toward your front foot and then bend gently forward, bringing your hand to rest on your ankle (or upper thigh or block). Sweep your other arm over your head and look upward. This is Triangle Pose. Hold at least 10 seconds and repeat on the other side.

This pose lengthens and strengthens torso muscles, which can reduce pain and pressure on your back.

[Related: Yoga Poses to Combat Neck Pain]

Child’s Pose

This pose involves sitting down, with your rear resting on your heels. You reach forward and down, bringing your forehead close to the floor while your arms stretch in front of you. You can deepen the stretch by slowly walking your hands forward. Child’s Pose elongates your back and releases muscular stress.

Especially if you are a beginner, you should practice yoga with a trained instructor to ensure safe and proper form. If you aren’t sure whether yoga is right for you, talk with your chiropractor to determine an appropriate back pain solution that supplements your regular adjustments.

What Is Subluxation and How Does It Impact Your Health?

Posted on June 4, 2017 by admin

Many people who experience chronic symptoms or discomfort seek chiropractic treatment before they’ve ever heard the term subluxation. The issue, while not inherently severe, can have far-reaching impacts on your overall wellbeing and quality of life. Thankfully, a chiropractor can help correct misalignments with manual adjustments, improving the subluxation and drastically reducing your symptoms.

What is Subluxation?

In the simplest terms, subluxation occurs when one of your back bones, called vertebrae, slips out of alignment. This can put considerable pressure on the disc between vertebrae, on your spinal cord, or on your nerves, resulting in pain, discomfort, and other health issues. A number of different factors can cause subluxation, including poor posture when standing or sitting at work, inadequate spinal support, sleeping position, repetitive motions, sudden trauma, birth, and weak spinal muscles.

Subluxation impacts your nervous system’s ability to fully function and regulate your body. When nerves or the spinal cord are pinched or impeded, your health can suffer. Depending on the cause of the subluxation, changes to your lifestyle, including your sleep habits or posture while at work, may be necessary for long-term relief. Chiropractic care can help reduce symptoms while simultaneously improving your posture and alignment.

How Subluxation Impacts Your Health

Your brain (and by extension, your spinal cord) controls everything in your body. When your spinal cord or nearby nerves are pinched or under pressure, it can affect your health in a variety of ways. Some of the most common symptoms are back and extremity pain and headaches. If untreated, however, a subluxation can intensify and have a profound impact on your overall health.

In some cases, untreated subluxations result in high stress levels, and your immune system is usually the first to take the hit. Decreased immune function, combined with increased pain and mobility issues, can aggravate other issues. Even internal organs can be adversely affected by poor nerve function if the subluxation isn’t promptly treated.

As you might guess, even if you don’t suffer from a known subluxation, it’s important to visit your chiropractor for regular treatment to ensure proper alignment and avoid a world of potential health issues.

Five Steps to Protect Your Back During a Move

Posted on September 18, 2016 by admin

Most adults will agree: moving often tends to be a stressful life event. It involves constant heavy lifting, marveling at how much stuff has accumulated over time, and it may even cause accidents. Moving can also agitate some health problems, as it puts considerable strain on your back. Before your next move, review these five tips to protect your spine throughout the process.

Use Proper Lifting

This is the most important step to any moving process. Bend at the knees in a squatting position and get a good grip on the object with your whole hand. Lift in one fluid motion using your legs, not your back. Try and keep your back as straight as possible throughout this whole process. Avoid twisting your back when walking with the load.

Ensure You Can Easily Grip the Load

Some items such as large boxes or oddly shaped objects are difficult to adequately grasp. You want to make sure that you can grasp the item fully and tightly, as readjusting may mean twisting and bending, causing a large amount of pressure on the spine.

Check the Weight of the Load Before You Pick it Up

A small box does not necessarily indicate minimal weight. You can strain your back immediately if you assume that a small object is light and go directly to pick it up. Push the item lightly to find out its true weight. If it moves easily, great. If not, you may have saved yourself a lot of back pain.

Distribute the Weight of an Object Evenly

You should check the weight distribution on every item before lifting it. If a box doesn’t have an equal weight distribution, you’ll constantly have to compensate while carrying it, which will cause a lot of back strain on one side or the other. You should also confirm that the items in the box will not move upon lifting. An unexpected weight shift while you’re carrying an item can spur serious damage.

Prepare the Load in an Easy Position

The item should be in an easy position to grasp and pick up. You don’t want to bend your back in an attempt to reach the item, and for all loads that need to be lifted over your head, try using a ladder to minimize the lifting distance and mitigate potential strains.

We all know that despite our best efforts, and even with all of these tips, accidents may happen. In the event of an injury, don’t delay treatment. Contact a reputable chiropractor immediately to schedule an appointment as soon as possible. Good luck, happy travels, and here’s to a risk-free move!