The world is celebrating World Spine Day (WSD) today. Without doubt, our spine is definitely an anatomical marvel to have in the body. Bio-mechanically, it provides support for your posture, protects your spinal cord, governing the mobility of your joints and many more.
Spinal pain, arthritis, spinal and disc degenerative disease, mechanical neck pain and low back pain are some of the common complaints that are rising in today’s health crisis. While these conditions are getting more common and we are seeing individuals are presenting at a young age group, it is important to remind that common doesn’t mean normal. Excessive and abnormal stresses are definitely the key factors that we have to address. Whether it is mechanical stresses coming from the long hours of sitting in front of the computer, or nutritional imbalances from the unhealthy diet and indulgence, they all contribute to a premature aging spine.
Take arthritis for example, one could definitely argue that our joint would not be inflamed for no reason just because we have aged. With a well-balance diet, nutritionist would agree that arthritis and joint pain is totally avoidable. The general notion about wear and tear caused by aging is not the complete picture when it comes to managing your arthritis. A better way to address would be nourishing the joints with adequate nutrition for proper functioning. Most importantly,it is not right to blame the process of aging entirely when we are not taking good care of ourselves.
Bad postures due to sedentary lifestyles and abnormal occupational stress is another commonly observed phenomenon. We all have to endure against the force of gravity regardless of what posture we adopt to. However, a significant difference in pressure exerting on our inter-vertebral disc, nerves, and other surrounding structures along the spine can be seen when we put ourselves in bad postures. Realigning your spine to a proper alignment gives you a better and stronger mechanical advantage over the tasks that you have to engage in your daily activities.
The good thing about all these is that our state of health is greatly influenced by our lifestyles and hence is modifiable and within our control. Another word is that, you can reverse your spinal health by getting the right nutrition, right exercise and right rehabilitation. Healthy spine, healthy life! We wish you a vibrant state of health with a strong and healthy spine.
Regards,
Dr Chew Wei Lun
D.C., CFMP®, Certified CBP®
