Importance of spinal care
HEALTH
This is the first in a series of articles from chiropractor Dr Nick Tsoupis on this important area of health many people are not aware of
WE all have a spine, and it is extremely important in our body’s ability to function, stand straight and tall and to protect our delicate and vital spinal cord.
Our spine has 24 vertebrae from the base of our skull to our tail bone or sacrum.
Similar to our teeth, our spine needs to be well looked after, but unlike our teeth, we don’t clean and brush our spines twice a day. It is often neglected and placed under daily stresses and compressive loads.
The spine is highly mobile, it can move in all directions which allows us to bend, twist, run, jump, swim and dance. But over time it can become imbalanced, stiff or restricted in movement.
Our body was never designed to sit for long periods of time. Because of this our body and particularly our spine will develop issues such as pain, stiffness, joint restrictions, muscle tension and adhesions, headaches, inflexibility, improper spinal curvatures, tilted or rotated pelvis, short leg length, poor posture and many other issues and imbalances. These are all signs that the body needs help and correction.
Our spine encases our spinal cord which is very delicate and requires protection by the bone structures of our spine. At each and every segment of our spine, nerves branch off the main spinal cord and split to the left and right of our body to our organs, skin, muscles and other tissues to act as highways for our brain to communicate and control our body.
Without our nervous system our body cannot feel, move or function. We must do our best to keep it safe, balanced and problem free. Early detection and preventative care is often best before issues develop and become very difficult to correct.
Issues in the spine can go from bad to worse very quickly so understanding your own spine and knowing what you can do to help it is becoming more and more important in this day and age.
Here’ a quick quiz for you to answer:
- Do you have headaches, backache, sore or tender spots in your muscles or joints?
- Do you feel like you are not balanced when you walk or stand up?
- Do you feel restricted or have discomfort when you take a deep breath?
- Are you less flexible than you used to be?
- Can you bend forward and touch your toes, keeping your knees straight?
- Do you often feel like you need to ‘crack’ your neck or back for relief?
- Do you feel like you have poor posture?
- Do you toss and turn at night in bed trying to get comfortable?
- Do you often wake up sore and stiff?
- Have you have a previous back injury that still bothers you from time to time?
If you tick yes for most of these, it’s definitely time for you to get a professional to assist you.
