Unless you have suffered from back pain or have actually been stabbed in the back with a knife, it may be hard for you to imagine how painful and debilitating a back injury can be. Every day we have so many things to be thankful for, but so often we don’t realize it and we take “normalcy” for granted – like having a healthy, normally functioning spine.
Spinal health is of utmost importance in your body’s overall health. I truly realize just how important the spine is because as I write this blog I am suffering from a pulled muscle and misaligned vertebra in my back. So as I sit here writing while wincing in pain from every deep breath I take and slight shift my body makes, I am introspectively reflecting on the importance of the spine.
The spine is the interstate or superconductor of all information (including pain) through nerves to all parts of the body. These nerves conduct the electricity that is necessary for our body’s cells to communicate. If the nerves are blocked, then the electricity or information is impeded and a traffic jam basically occurs. If nerves are pinched or injured then the result is pain – sometimes a lot of it. If information cannot flow through the body’s nerves efficiently or if it is convoluted by pain, then the result is improper organ function, suppressed immune system, digestive disorders and stress. Many symptoms such as allergies, headaches, constipation, diarrhea, nausea, ringing in the ears, fatigue and more are simply the result of spinal misalignment.
I’ve had multiple back injuries over the last ten years – none of which came from heavy exertion, accident, strenuous activity or any of the usual suspects that you would attribute to back injury. Every time I have injured my back it has been the result of a very unsuspecting incident such as: slightly leaning over the bathroom sink to spit out toothpaste after brushing my teeth, turning slightly to pick up a bag weighing less than 5 pounds at waist height, and most recently, reaching down to tie my shoe. After deep contemplation and analysis of each injury and the days and weeks leading up to said injury, I came to the conclusion that each incident wasn’t the actual cause of the injury, but rather the culmination of a series of events leading up to the incident. Each time the series of events had some common denominators such as: decreased water intake and hydration, alcohol consumption (contributing to dehydration), less activity or less intense exercise, reduced or omitted stretching, less yoga and sauna time, more stress, lack of sleep, improper posture, excessive driving, no chiropractic maintenance treatments, sitting for long periods without standing and stretching… the list goes on, but you get the point.
I take full responsibility for each injury to my back because I know that I was not doing everything within my power to avert the calamity. I know without a shadow of a doubt that if I was following my own routine to the best of my ability that the injuries would have most likely never happened. How do I know this to be true? Because the very things that I just listed as factors (or lack thereof) leading up to the injury were the things that naturally healed me each time and then allowed me to go for years on a demanding schedule and rigorous workout routine without even the slightest hint of pain or injury. In fact, I’ve even been in multiple car accidents in which I was rear-ended and walked away with no soreness or injury at all – those accidents happened when I was “on my full routine” and in what I considered peak physical condition.
Since my back injuries have always occurred during periods when I admittedly slacked off on my routine, it take that as proof positive that if you don’t use it, you lose it (or injure it)! This further validates my motto that “if you fight as if you already have a problem, then you may never get one – but if you wait until you have a diagnosis (or injury) it may be too late.”
Here are some things you can do to keep your “back on track”:
- Sit up straight and don’t slouch or hunch over- become cognoscente of your posture at all times
- Uncross your legs when sitting (this also causes varicose veins)
- Don’t keep a wallet or other items in your back pocket as this can cause your hips to shift and put pressure on your back when seated
- Bend at the knees and keep your upper body erect when lifting things
- Sleep on your back or side instead of your stomach
- Take occasional breaks from activities that require sitting (couch surfing, working, driving, etc) and stand up and stretch, walk, rebound from heel to toe, or just simply move a little!
- Hydrate with plenty of fresh, clean water
- Wear comfortable shoes
- Visit your chiropractor for routine preventative maintenance, exams and adjustments – before you have a problem
- Take yoga classes regularly to maintain flexibility
- Treat yourself to massage therapy regularly
- Avoid drugs that stop the pain, but don’t get to the cause of the problem – these can lead to further injury and much more severe problems in the body.
No comments:
Post a Comment