Yep, your spine is
incredible, alright. Designed to allow for optimal mobility while still
protecting your central nervous system, your amazing back bone is nothing short
of a biological masterpiece! But it can only survive with your help.
Back pain will affect
around 80% of us at some point during our lives; and lower back pain accounts
for more lost hours than any other type of occupational injury. So the human
spine tends to get a lot of stick! But a lot of the time, it's our habits that
are to blame for our back issues; and more specifically, how we tend to neglect
the needs of our spines.
Image by FitBro
The problem is that
we don't always use our spines in the way that nature intended. Poor postures,
prolonged sitting and inactivity are behaviours that our spines absolutely
hate! And they throw these bad habits right back in our faces in the form of
back pain.
Your spine is made
up of 33 bones stacked on top of one another. The 4 bones of the coccyx are
fused, as are the 4 bones of the sacrum. In between all of the other bones have
two little joints called facet joints. These joints facilitate movement at each
spinal segment.
We are born with
fully functional and healthy spines but as life progresses, our movement tends
to diminish. Of course, this has traditionally occurred with age, but these
days, even some younger generations are guilty of living somewhat sedentary
lives. In fact, modern day life can lead to all kinds of muscle imbalances
around the spine, including tightness and weakness. Experts are saying that "sitting
is the new smoking"; and they're not exaggerating! When you sit down,
intervertebral discs absorb fluid and become tighter, allowing less range of
motion and promoting injury. Your body simply wasn't designed to sit for long
periods of time, so it will inevitably suffer as a result of doing so.
Prolonged postures commonly lead to weakening and lengthening or tightening and
shortening of muscles. The end result is often reduced movement and pain.
The facts are
simple; the more you purposely move your spine, the better range of motion you
will have and the less chance you'll have of developing back pain. Ensuring
your spine gets the movement it needs will enable it to get the nutrients it
requires to stay healthy.
Movement is among
the best prescriptions for back pain. Get active and get healthy!
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/9709791
