Spine Health & Spinal Hygiene

When the spine degenerates with age, the spinal bones gradually begin to deform. These changes can then affect the soft-tissues surrounding the spine: muscles, tendons, ligaments, discs, joints and even spinal nerves.

Through overuse, bad posture and/or as a result of an injury or other underlying condition, the spinal discs are the most commonly affected structures when the spine begins to degenerate. The spinal discs, or vertebral discs, primarily function as a shock absorber between each vertebra. These also act as ligaments to hold the bones of the spine together and provide mobility to the spine. As people age, the body begins to wear and tear from use. The spinal discs will degenerate from loss of fluid, causing these to become thinner and less flexible, no longer providing a comfortable cushion between each vertebra. The supporting ligaments, tendons and muscles can also begin to weaken, leading to various complications, including pinched nerves, herniated discs, spinal stenosis, osteoarthritis, and misalignments of the spine.

Because spinal degeneration occurs over an extended period of time, its symptoms can appear subtle and are often overlooked in its early stages. However, once this natural wear and tear begins to develop into much more severe complications, a majority of individuals will experience neck, back and lower back pain, depending on the location of the spinal issue.

"The Foundation for Chiropractic Progress highlights a new study which reports substantial growth in the use of chiropractic care by the U.S. Department."

The Foundation for Chiropractic Progress (F4CP) notes that for more than 10 years, the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) has included chiropractic services as part of the standard medical benefits package offered to all enrolled veterans. According to a new study conducted by researchers from the VA Connecticut Healthcare System, published in the Journal of Manipulative and Physiological Therapeutics, the use of chiropractic services and the chiropractic workforce in VA has grown substantially since their introduction over a decade ago.

“Our work shows that VA has steadily and substantially increased its use of chiropractic services each year following their implementation in late 2004,” states lead author of the study Anthony J. Lisi, DC, Director of the VA Chiropractic Program, and Chiropractic Section Chief at the VA Connecticut Healthcare System. He then added, "VA continues its efforts to ensure appropriate access to chiropractic care across the whole system, but as this paper shows, the progress to date has been remarkable.”

Some people will develop widespread pain after an auto injury. Decades ago, people with these symptoms were thought to be exaggerating their injuries, but now we know that there are actual alterations that occur in the brain and nervous system that are at the root for the development of chronic pain.

After suffering an automobile injury, such as whiplash, the structures of the cervical spine, or neck, can be stretched or torn as a result of the back-and-forth motion during an auto collision. The complex tissues surrounding the neck and other areas of the spine then become swollen and inflamed, causing the well-known symptoms of neck pain. In this process, the muscles contract in order to protect from further injury.

However, if a whiplash-type injury is not treated right away, a repetitive cycle of pain and muscle contractions can occur. This can cause widespread symptoms throughout the body, including the hands and feet as well as make the individual overly sensitive to pain in general. 

The bipedal posture of humans carries many benefits for us, but alternatively, this standing posture also adds pressure on the spine as well as other bones and surrounding muscles of the body. Together with an individual’s improper sitting position and the natural wear and tear degeneration of tissues through age, it’s not uncommon for individual’s to develop symptoms of back pain. In fact, back pain is considered to be the second most common cause people seek medical attention, only next to upper-respiratory infections. According to some experts, as many as 80% of individuals may experience back complications at some point in their lives.

Although back pain and its associated symptoms is common among the population, treating your injury or condition is crucial for individuals to achieve a healthy lifestyle. Chiropractic care focuses on the structure and function of the human body, primarily that of the spine. A chiropractor can diagnose a possible injury or condition causing back complications and determine the most appropriate treatment for each individual using spinal adjustments, manual manipulation and occasionally, recommending exercise and dietary lifestyle changes to improve a person’s wellbeing. Chiropractic adjustments can be an effective treatment for back pain as well as other types of pain.

 Additionally, before relying on chiropractic care for diagnosing and treating a back complication, the common injuries or conditions relating to back pain can be prevented in a variety of ways such as, maintaining a healthy diet and weight are important towards preventing back pain, avoiding prolonged inactivity or bed rest, staying active, warming up or stretching before exercising or participating in other physical activities to avoid further injuries, maintaining a proper posture, wearing comfortable, low-heeled shoes, and sleeping on a mattress of medium firmness to minimize any curve in the spine.

Many people commonly describe feeling shooting pain down their leg along with back pain. Numerous factors could be causing these frequent symptoms but before treating an individual with back and leg pain, a proper diagnosis is first required to identify the source of the problem.

One of the most common causes for symptoms of pain, numbness, and tingling sensations originating from the back and traveling down the leg could suggest a disc problem on the lower back. Disc complications, such as disc bulges, disc inflammation due to injury, herniated discs, and disc extrusions, are all painful conditions that could affect a person’s lifestyle. While many people consider surgery as an option for treating their spine injuries or conditions, chiropractic treatment through the use of spinal adjustments and manual manipulation can also help treat and improve the symptoms of many spine-related injuries and conditions. Regardless of the treatment options you may choose to follow, the healing process usually requires time and patience to completely restore the natural state of your body.

If you’re experiencing pain, you can apply ice to the affected area. The ice will help to reduce the inflammation of the muscle and help decrease the compression of the nerves. Complications of the spine and its symptoms may not go away over night but with regular and frequent care, you can eventually begin to feel better.  

Back pain is one of the most frequent reasons people seek chiropractic treatment. From back injuries to spinal conditions, many people have experienced symptoms of back pain throughout their lifetimes but recently, children have been visiting the chiropractor much more frequently than the parents are.

One of the major reasons children develop back problems can be linked to the use of oversized, heavy backpacks which hang over a single shoulder. While it’s recommended to minimize the size of the backpack, it’s often difficult to accomplish this solution as it requires kids to also decrease the amount of supplies they need to be carrying around with them at a time. However, using back packs with adjustable straps over both shoulders can decrease the stress caused on the back of a child.

Varied physical activity can also help keep kids healthy and free of back pain after sitting in a hard, resin chair for extended periods of time. Stretching the muscles and exercising regularly strengthens the muscles of a growing child which in turn can help prevent spinal misalignments as well as damage from an injury.

In recent years, in recognition of the value and benefits of chiropractic care, Congress has passed, and the President has signed into law, legislation establishing a permanent chiropractic care benefit for both active duty military personnel and veterans. Furthermore, a doctor of chiropractic is now stationed in the U.S. Capitol to provide necessary care to members of Congress

To date, there is a doctor of chiropractic at 60 military bases around the country; however, according to a 2005 Government Accountability Office report, only 54 percent of servicemen and women eligible for chiropractic care can reasonably access the benefit. It is still necessary more is done to increase chiropractic access and availability.

Upright’s wearable device connects to your back and helps improve your posture. Thankfully, we had the chance to test it out

If the opening of this article hasn’t already prompted you to straighten your back, give it a go right now. Try keeping your back straight for the rest of this article. Unfortunately you may find that after five minutes or less, you will be longing to slouch again. If this is the case, Upright has the product for you. 

As well as causing back pain in the short and long term, slouching affects your body language, mood, self confidence and more. It is estimated that as many as 80% of people will experience back pain at some point in their lives.

Vast research demonstrates the benefits of good posture. It was found that “adopting an upright seated posture in the face of stress can maintain self-esteem, reduce negative mood, and increase positive mood compared to a slumped posture.” Furthermore good posture can improve mood and energy levels and increase lung capacity by as much as 30 percent.

Oded Cohen founded Upright when he couldn’t find an adequate solution for his mother’s slouching. So in July 2012, he started Upright in Israel, with a mission to eradicate bad posture. In May 2014, Upright launched an Indiegogo campaign and raised $155,244 from over 2,000 backers.

A variety of issues weigh in on an individual's likelihood of ending up with sciatica. Most of them deal with increased pressure on the spine.

According to the Mayo Clinic, sciatica can best be described as a compression of the nerves on the spine, most commonly occurring as a result of a herniated disk or a bone spur. The impingement of the nerves can then cause inflammation, pain, and often, symptoms of tingling and numbness on the affected leg. Sciatica can commonly be the result of increased stress on the spine and/or nerves of the spine. 

Obesity, improper lifting, a sedentary lifestyle, and getting older are all frequent factors that cause sciatica and its familiar symptoms. Carrying too much weight can strain the spine, causing damage that may result in sciatica just as twisting the body incorrectly to lift heavy objects can also result in injury to the spine.

Treatment options for sciatica can vary and the choice depends on the severity of the condition.

Chiropractic care for sciatica works to align the spine and reduce the pressure on the lower back. Together with strengthening exercises, a person's symptoms of sciatica can be greatly reduced. Acupuncture has also shown positive results in the treatment of sciatica. Other treatment options for sciatica involving medication include, anti-inflammatory drug therapy, supplements, and cortisone injections. 

In the human body, the spine functions to balance and support an upright posture but, when there is a spinal misalignment as a result of an injury or underlying condition, the health of the spine can be greatly affected, an individual’s posture may appear abnormal and can often lead to further complications.

Although there are many treatment options for restoring an individual’s spinal health and reducing common symptoms of back pain and an improper posture, maintaining a healthy spine can most importantly be achieved through prevention. Chiropractors often diagnose and treat a great amount of people whom experience a back injury or aggravate prior spinal conditions. In order to maintain a healthy spine free of back pain and other symptoms, following several preventive measures can make a great difference.

One of the biggest causes for spine complications is overexerting physical fitness. The best way to avoid an injury is to forget instantly resuming into your previous workout routines especially after a long period of little to no physical activity. Foremost, in order to maintain overall spinal health, it’s important to start building your physical fitness slowly. Individuals often tend to overestimate their fitness levels once they resume physical activity. By starting slow, an individual is allowing the body to first regain its previous strength, stamina, and agility. 

After performing any physical activity its also important to stretch. A chiropractic doctor or physical therapist can also help by recommending the appropriate stretches according to each individual to efficiently warm up and stretch the muscles and joints as to not cause an injury or aggravate an underlying condition.