Research shows that small changes are more likely to stick than radical adjustments. It’s why experts recommend that you make gradual changes to diet and exercise regimens, because radically changing your normal routine can make it harder for those changes to become long-term habits. This same sentiment can be applied to back pain prevention. We don’t expect you to overhaul your current lifestyle to help protect and strengthen your spine, but if you can make a few simple tweaks to keep your back healthy, you may be able to reduce your risk of future spinal issues. In today’s blog, we take a look at five lifestyle tweaks you can make to help keep back pain at bay.
Simple Tweaks To Improve Your Spine Health
We don’t expect you to make major changes to your daily schedule, but if you can tweak a few things and make these changes part of your normal routine, you may be able to alleviate some spine discomfort or keep yourself protected against future spinal issues.
- Reevaluate Your Sleep Routine – Sleep is important for a number of different bodily processes, and it can also help to calm inflammation and help our spine recover after a day of activity. Far too many Americans get inconsistent sleep, so if you want to help protect your spine and have a little more energy to attack the day, take a closer look at your sleep schedule. Try to go to bed and wake up around the same time each day, getting at least seven hours of uninterrupted sleep each night.
- Give Yourself Time In The Morning – Take things slow when you first step out of bed in the morning. If you’re one of those people that sleeps until the last minute and then rushes to get ready, or you hop out of bed, lace up your running shoes and head out for a run, you may be putting excess stress on your spine and its supportive muscles before they are really ready for this trauma. Give your body 5-10 minutes in the morning to slowly let your body adjust to stress and strain before you attack the day. This can help to prevent minor issues like sprains and strains.
- Swap In One Healthy Snack – As we mentioned in the introduction, we don’t expect you to completely overhaul your diet, but if you can swap in one healthy snack each day, your back and your body will be better off for it. Healthy, fiber-rich foods can help to calm potentially problematic spinal inflammation, while unhealthy options full of sugar and carbohydrates can contribute to inflammation and weight gain, both of which are hard on your spine. Slowly make some improvements to your diet to protect your back.
- Cut Back On The Phone Use – As we’ve talked about on the blog in the past, spine specialists are seeing an uptick in younger patients with neck issues, and many believe this is tied to an increase in cell phone screen time. If you like to scroll on your phone, be cognizant of your head positioning, as leaning forward to look at your phone in your lap will be hard on your cervical spine. If you’re really getting ambitious, track your screen time and set daily limits to reduce the amount of time you spend on your phone. Odds are your head and neck will feel better because of it.
- Find Little Ways To Move More – Movement is beneficial for our spine health, and living a sedentary lifestyle can contribute to a number of different spinal issues, so find some easy ways to move a little bit more throughout the day. You don’t need to carve out an hour a day for a run (although finding time solely dedicated to exercise is great for your spine), but look for ways to be a little more active each day. Park farther away from the store so you have to walk more, take the stairs instead of the elevator, or take a personal phone call while walking around the block. Being active for just a few more minutes each day will all add up over time, so look at your lifestyle and see if you can make a couple tweaks to become more active.
For more tips on how you can protect and strengthen your spine, reach out to Dr. Sinicropi and the team at The Midwest Spine & Brain Institute today at (651) 430-3800.
