Posts Tagged ‘Houston’
Carrying Your Whole Life on Your Back: How Backpacks Affect Spinal Health
Your bag is your life- make sure it isn’t killing you
Messenger bags, gym bags, huge purses, briefcases; a single unit for carrying your personal belongings is a vital component of keeping your life together throughout the day. However, we rarely put any thought into the type of bag we use or how we carry it until it is causing us back pain. When it comes to selecting a pack, functionality should be the primary consideration, not fashion. To prevent problems from developing, take a few seconds to analyze your posture when you are carrying your bag.
- Do you lean forward or slump to one side to support the weight?
- Do you struggle to get your pack on or off
- Does your back pain increaes while carrying your bag?
These simple questions are even more important for our children, who carry a bag back and forth to school every day. The developing spine is susceptible to the added pressure of a heavy backpack. The extra compression of the pack can cause changes in the curvature of a developing spine and lead to pain in the back, neck and shoulder.
Careers with Back Pain: Auto Mechanics
Don’t let your job kill your back
Automobile mechanics are in an industry that can be disastrous for the back. Consistently ranked in the top 10 of professions that cause back pain, the auto mechanic faces unique challenges to maintaining their spines’ integrity. Cars are large, awkward objects that require a human to bend, dip and arch their backs in order to get the required angle for work on the car. As we have found out, bending is one of the hardest movements on the spine because it pinches the front of intervertebral discs and leads to degenerative problems in the spine. Below you will find health tips regarding back care and the auto mechanic industry.
You Can’t Put a Price on Good Circulation
Circulation is vital
When you work out, either aerobically or by lifting weight, your body responds by increasing blood flow. This increased blood flow, also known as circulation, sends oxygen and nutrients to all parts of the body including vital organs (think the brain), helping them to repair, regrow and function optimally. Let’s look at what inhibits blood circulation and what we, as chiropractors, can do to let the blood flow (circulation-wise).
How to: Feel Great in Old Age
The longevity of your spine is important
Here is why we love our spine:
- It lets us move: your spine is what allows for the initiation and success of almost every movement that we do on a daily basis.
- It provides our network for nerve signalling: in this way, your brain communicates with every cell, tissue and organ in your body. This allows us to feel sensations, react and do the things we want when we want.
- It supports us: it keeps us upright and connects to all the important structures and muscles that allow us to move and function on a daily basis
Now what happens when this great structure begins to falter?
As our bodies age, the spine can become a make or break factor in how we feel
The truth is, the lifespan of our spines is finite and most often, it is not designed to function as long as we are now able to stay alive. However, more and more we are treating more and more people whose spines have degraded as early as their twenties. Obviously this was not purposeful but, whether through injury or poor posture, it is a frightening precedent to set for a spine that (hopefully) needs to last you another 50 years.
At Holmes Chiropractic, we protect the longevity of spines in the Houston area
Chiropractic care is integral to supporting the spine- by receiving regular assessments and adjustments we can make sure your spine is aligned and your nervous system is working properly. By gaining a feeling for how good it feels to have a straight and upright spine, you subconsciously begin to take the health of your spine more seriously. This usually means paying attention to posture and the strengthening of muscles that lend support to the vertebrae, especially in the lower back. If you are interested in maintaining the health of your spine long into the future, give our office in Houston a call to schedule an appointment today.
Keeping your Spine Aligned: What you can do
Houston, why do you want to keep your spine aligned?
First of all what determines “good alignment?” A properly aligned body refers to a position in which the head, shoulders, spine, hips, knees and ankles align in a position that puts minimal pressure on the spine. Let us give you some reasons why this is important:
- Good spinal alignment contributes to better body mechanics and fewer injuries
- Good spinal alignment protects and aids in the functioning of the central nervous system
- Good spinal alignment facilitates the optimal functioning of all your major bodily systems