Lifestyle

Spine Health: How To Take Care of Your Spine

December 22, 2021

The combination of gravity and the aging process make back pain about as inevitable as paying taxes. Not taking care of yourself can make it even worse.

Thankfully, there are some things you can do that will help you age more gracefully and safely (though we can’t promise total avoidance of the inevitable).

Walking on two legs and standing upright are some of the defining traits that separate mankind from most of the animal kingdom. But standing on two legs instead of four comes with some consequences. Gravity constantly works against your body, which can compress your spine and contribute to back pain over time.

Since you can’t really do anything about gravity, normal wear-and-tear, or the aging process, it’s important that you take care of your spine and supporting muscles. Here are a few factors you have control of.

What Does the Spine Actually Do?

Your spine is responsible for providing your body with structural support, as well as protecting your spinal cord.

Your skeletal system relies on your spine to connect the various parts of your body and keep you upright. If you think of your skeleton like a tree, your spine is the trunk, as all parts branch off from it.

Another crucial responsibility of your spine is to protect your spinal cord. This centralized collection of nerves connects your brain to the organs, muscles, and far-reaching nerves throughout your body. Movement, feeling, and bodily functions all rely on your spinal cord to receive commands from your brain. This is why people who sever or damage their spinal cord in an accident can lose certain bodily functions, like feeling and walking in their lower half.

How Does the Spine Work?

Your spine is composed of 33 semi-rigid bones called vertebrae that are stacked on top of one another.

There are five regions in your spine that each contain a precise number of vertebrae:

Seven cervical spine vertebrae
Twelve thoracic spine vertebrae
Five lumbar vertebrae
Five sacral vertebrae
Four coccygeal vertebrae

In between each of your vertebrae are soft discs that resemble gel. These intervertebral discs act like shock absorbers and prevent your vertebrae from grinding against one another.

A series of ligaments connect the vertebrae together, along with various tendons that connect these to muscles surrounding your spine.

When you feel back pain, it’s often due to these muscles and ligaments being strained. It can also be due to your discs being worn through or slipping out of place, causing friction against your spinal cord (and pain) or muscular issues as your body works to compensate for the "slipped disc."

There are 40 different muscles in your back (20 on each side of the spine), and those that commonly contribute to chronic back pain and similar conditions are:

The iliopsoas muscle is the name for the conjoined psoas and iliacus muscles. Although they start out as separate muscles in the abdomen and hip, they merge together at the top of the femur in your thigh. Common causes of injury include overuse due to kicking motions, extended bicycle riding, or long periods of sitting/driving.
The paraspinal muscles are three separate muscle groups that are used to support your back and help provide motion. These are the muscles that you use when you bend forward or lean to the side. Common causes of injury include a hunched-over posture, too much sitting, and repetitive straining motions.
The rectus abdominis muscles (more commonly known as your “abs”) are a pair of long muscles that help to flex and tighten your abdominal wall. Common causes of injury include overextension during crunches or sit-ups or carrying excess fat on your abdomen.
The gluteal muscles are composed of the gluteus maximus, medius, and minimus. These muscles make up your buttocks and help to stabilize your pelvis to maintain your upright posture and balance. Common causes of injury include prolonged periods of sitting, and even sitting on a thick wallet.
The piriformis muscle is located deep inside your gluteal muscles and connects the thigh to the pelvis. It aids the various gluteal muscles with their responsibility and helps rotate the thigh outward. Common causes of injury include long-distance running or excessive periods of sitting or driving.

What Causes Poor Spine Health?

There are plenty of ways that you might be contributing to poor spine health and not even realize it.

In addition to the injury examples listed above, these are a few of the most common reasons that people have spine conditions or poor spine health:

A sedentary lifestyle is one of the most common root causes of poor spine health. Your intervertebral discs need to be stretched and used often to maintain their gel-like form. Long periods of sitting can lead to hardening and tightness, leading to a reduced range of motion and a higher chance of injury.
Dehydration can cause your intervertebral discs to shrink and your soft tissue elasticity to suffer, making it more likely for discs to herniate and slip out of place. The elastic tissues in your intervertebral discs are basically a semi-solid liquid and rely on sufficient hydration to maintain their size.
Gravity will steadily pull down on your spine and create more stress for your muscles. The constant pressure will eventually reduce the ability of your intervertebral discs to handle compression. Carrying extra weight can accelerate this process.
Weak core muscles will compromise your spine's stability and can lead to overextension. It becomes more likely for a disc to slip out of place and bulge against the muscles surrounding your back.
Injuries to your pelvis or legs can lead to overcompensation by your spine and tilt your pelvis. Over time, this slight variation in posture can contribute to muscles being strained and intervertebral discs being worn down faster.
Improper lifting techniques during workouts or lifting heavy items can cause injury to your spine or strain your muscles.

How Can You Improve Your Spine Health?

Your spine is an incredibly strong and resilient part of your body. Making a few lifestyle changes can help you to improve the health of your spine and reduce the risk of back pain or issues in the future.

These are a few treatment options and strategies that you can use to improve spine health:

Don’t sit for long periods of time. Intervertebral discs don’t have blood vessels and they only get essential nutrients through spinal movement. Get up and stretch your back every now and again to keep them in their gel-like state and maximize comfort. Sitting with poor posture can also place extra pressure on your back, leading to strain.
Get more exercise. Training with proper form to build strength can be helpful to build up the muscles around your lumbar spine. Squatting is one of the best exercises you can do as it strengthens several muscles in your back that connect to your spine. Exercise can also help you lose excess weight and improve endurance.
Stretch often. The muscles in your back can tighten up if you don’t stretch them often. Engaging in yoga or other flexibility-based exercises can help prevent this from happening while also strengthening your core and improving muscle fluidity.
Sleep on your side. Sleeping the wrong way, especially on your stomach, is very bad for your back.
Use proper lifting techniques. When you’re working out or even just lifting something heavy, make sure you do it correctly. Use your legs to lift the object instead of your back or upper body. Make sure you also keep your head down and upper body upright and straight. Don’t try to lift anything that’s too heavy for you — the flex isn’t worth the damage. We promise.
Maintain a healthy weight. Losing weight has plenty of health benefits and will reduce some of the extra stress that’s placed on your spine if you're overweight. Having extra weight in your midsection can cause bad posture and contribute to lower back pain.
Drink plenty of water. Stay properly hydrated so that the intervertebral discs in your spine don't shrink or dry out.

The Takeaway

Your spine is extremely important and you need to take care of it in order to avoid experiencing back pain. Simple steps like maintaining a healthy weight, getting regular exercise, regular movement during the day, and simple core strength training can all help you avoid the risk of spine or back pain in the future.

Making a few lifestyle changes now can help to improve your spine health and keep you walking without any pain. The most important thing you can do is avoid sitting for long periods of time. Modern convenience has made it possible to accomplish a lot while sitting down. You can even consult with medical professionals from your own home these days (wink wink).

However, it’s important that you take time to get up, stretch, and move around in order to help keep your spine flexible. Set an alarm, throw it on your calendar — whatever it takes to remind yourself to get up from your desk once in a while.