This is our favourite question to get in practice, it is a way of taking control of your own body.
Of course, the advice we give in the treatment room is normally personal and complaint specific but there are some tips that the majority of people could benefit from.
Tips for spinal health:
1. Wear good shoes, but take some time to walk barefoot outside and train the small muscles in the feet. Your back will thank you for it! You spend 8 hours in your bed and 8 hours in your shoes, it is important that they both are of a good quality.
2. Sleep. 7-8 hours is known as the average. It is important for energy recuperation, repair and healing of tissues and your mental health.
3. Try not to sleep on your stomach. Your lower back goes into hyperextension and your neck is in full rotation. Try and keep your spine in alignment when sleeping, this is often why people wake up feeling stiff.
4. Drink enough water, trust us, we can tell who doesn’t. This is incredibly important for tissue healing, detoxing from treatments, tiredness etc the list is endless. This is calculated by weight:
5. Drink less coffee. Coffee is a diuretic, which means it pulls more water out your tissues and makes you need to drink even more water. One of the structures in the body very vulnerable to this are the discs in the spine. Dehydrated discs have a bigger chance of pressing on nerves and causing a whole host of issues.
6. Move. Walk at least 10,000 steps a day. Your spine, your heart and your waistline will thank you.
7. Breathe. Yes, you heard it, properly, through your stomach. Improper breathing is linked to headaches, panic attacks, anxiety, neck pain and neck hernias, weak core muscles and poor posture.
8. Change your mattress every 8-10 years and every 2-3 years for your cushion.