Spinal Health: Getting Adjusted Just Might Save Your Life

When you think of the essential parts of the body, I am sure you think of the heart, brain, kidneys, liver, and all your vital organs. However, we need to think about how all of those are connected. They are all connected through the spine. Our nervous system controls every movement and chemical and hormonal action. Unfortunately, the rise in back and neck pain in this country is becoming an epidemic and shaping how we function in our lives and careers. In this article, I will explain the importance of your spinal cord and how you can improve your mobility to help you perform, function, and feel how you are designed to handle it.

Why is the Spine So Important?

Our spine connects our brain to every vital organ in our body through our nervous system. The nervous system is various veins and arteries that carry messages from our brain to our organs or vice versa. It helps us sit, stand, walk, twist, and move. You feel like you can't do anything when you have back pain, right? The spine is an undermined area of the body because it does not seem important, but it connects us altogether if you think about it. Our spine helps let us know we are in pain, sending signals from the areas that hurt straight to the brain. Unfortunately, in today's society, with so many sedentary people and lifestyles, it has shaped our spines in a detrimental way that is beginning to affect our population negatively.

What has happened to our spine over the years?

One of the most common issues with people as they age is the pain they feel from spine degeneration. Over the years, our body has become stiffer due to a lack of mobility, movement, injury, and other debilitating conditions, especially in a corporate environment where we are hunched over a computer, stressed, and not moving as we should. Our spine is designed to stay in its natural curve for proper function, and when it becomes out of balance, discs in between our vertebrae begin to degenerate. Over time, we begin to notice pain in our necks and lower backs because those areas take the most beating sitting at a desk hair all day.

When we are sedentary, our spine is forced into a new natural position, which begins to put stress on our body, which has been shown to increase mental and emotional stress. Along with the pain, you also feel symptoms of anxiety and stress because your body does not have room to breathe properly because you are hunched over in an unnatural position. Over the years, this has put us at risk for arthritis, osteoporosis, spinal stenosis, herniated discs, heart disease, anxiety, and much more.

What Are The Risks?

The risks of neglecting your spine's health can lead to severe repercussions for your posture, mobility, cognitive ability, and much more. Our spine is the center of control for our nervous system, which controls every function in our body. The worse our posture or, the more stagnant our spines stay, it puts pressure on our nerves, creating an opportunity for potential risks. The main risk is pain, which can lead to you getting in uncomfortable positions, which puts pressure somewhere else, leading to continuous pain and issues. As you can see below in the diagram, what the spine connects to gives you an idea of how severe your spine's health is.

Bad posture is so common today, with looking down at a screen most of the day and sitting in a desk chair all day. When you go home, I am positive your primary source of pain are your neck, shoulders, hips, and lower back. If you struggle with these symptoms, check your posture.

Spinal Hygiene, Treat it Like Brushing Your Teeth.

We all know the importance of brushing our teeth. Preventing cavities and teeth damage is essential for longevity and hygiene. But what would happen if we did not brush our teeth every day? Eventually, they would fall out, which would debilitate our ability to chew food or consume what our body needs. The same thing happens with our spine; if we do not take care of it daily, we begin to debilitate our body's mobility. Causing us to be unable to move so that we can function normally, leaving us in pain and slowly creating long-term issues within our bodies.

So making sure you are moving throughout the day, checking your posture a couple of times a day, and getting adjusted once every three months will help you take better care of your spine.

3 Things You Can Do Today

1. Check, Your Posture Periodically- A great way to remember to do this is to set a reminder on your calendar to check your posture. How do I prevent my posture? Well, it's simple all you do is stand up, open your chest by pushing your shoulders in line with your ears, and keep your ears in line with your shoulder and hips. Doing this 2-3 times a day will help you build a habit of correct posture.

2. Reduce Screen Time- By reducing your screen time, you take the pressure off your spine because you are not looking down at a screen for hours. Try and keep your head over your shoulders more than bent over. This will reduce the strain on your spine, improve focus and concentration, and reduce stress.

3. Take Time To Move Your Body- I do not just mean with exercise. Mainly I am talking about moving your spine in ways that improve the flexibility and longevity of the vertebrae by moving your head in a back-to-forward motion and side-to-side motion. You strengthen the vertebrae in your neck by twisting your torso back and forth and side to side. You are then doing small rotations with your hips to help your lower back work. Doing this every day, it's almost like flossing your teeth.

Take Away

This article's message: is not to take advantage of your spine's health. It can save you years of life and drastically improve your life if you take a few minutes daily to check your posture, stretch a little, and be more present.