We’ve closed the door on May, and that means summer is officially here! The warmer weather in Minnesota allows us to partake in a number of new seasonal activities, but it can also be a hard season on our spine. In today’s blog, we share some tips to help protect and strengthen your spine throughout the Minnesota summer.
Summer Spine Safety
Here’s a look at seven potential threats to your spine health, and how being proactive and mindful can help you avoid a back injury.
- Not Stretching – The warm weather means our spinal joints can be ready to handle activity more quickly, but that doesn’t mean we should ignore a stretching routine just because we already feel loose. Take a couple minutes before your workout to go through your normal stretching routine so that your spine and your muscle groups are ready for the activity ahead.
- Head Protection – If you’re using the summer season to bike, motorcycle, ATV, skateboard or wakeboard, make sure you invest in a helmet. Aside from protecting your brain, helmets can also help to prevent injury to your cervical spine, so make sure you wear a helmet. The same can be said for a seat belt, because vehicles will be traveling at faster speeds, and staying buckled can help prevent a catastrophic spine injury.
- Fall Risk – If you’re cleaning the gutters, working on the roof or cleaning second-story windows, be smart when working from heights. Every year we treat patients who fell off a ladder or roof, and you’d be amazed at home much damage a 5-10 foot fall can do. Have others nearby to support the ladder or invest in harnesses to keep you where you want to be so your back stays healthy.
- Keep Exercising – Summer gets busy, but that doesn’t mean you can put your normal exercise routine on the backburner. Go for a run in the warm sun, or swim laps at the outdoor pool. Carve out time to exercise so your spine and whole body stays strong.
- Break Up and Vary Activities – Don’t try to do too much, too often when it comes to physical activity. Repetitive stress and overuse are driving factors in a number of spinal problems, so break up your work and vary activities. Don’t try to do all of your yard work in one day, and vary your workouts so you’re testing your core one day, your legs the next and your upper body the following day so that one area isn’t overloaded.
- Regular Checkups – Between the busy summer months and the COVID-19 pandemic, it’s easy for medical checkups and preventative screenings to fly under the radar. Now that more clinics are opening back up, make sure your wellness exams don’t get overlooked. The best way to treat the majority of health conditions, including those of the spine, is with early detection and aggressive treatment, so don’t let a problem go undiagnosed because you couldn’t find time to get an exam.
- Treat Your Pain – Finally, nobody wants to slow down in the summer, but taking a weekend off to help your back heal can prevent a much longer period of inactivity if you try to push through the pain and make the injury worse. Treat small spinal issues before they snowball into a major problem. If you’re concerned about the best way to treat a spinal issue, reach out to Dr. Sinicropi’s office for answers or a diagnosis!
