The spine is one of the most important parts of the human body. It can affect your quality of life and even your life span. It needs to be affectionately cared for and that includes maintaining good spinal health.
Some signs that indicate poor spinal health include chronic pain, numbness, fatigue, or unexplained muscle weakness. If you suffer from any of these symptoms, it is time to see a chiropractor in order to find out what’s going on with your back and how you can improve it. You may also benefit from classes or Scenar treatment from Yoga for Posture, both of which are great for chronic pain.
There are some preventative measures you can take for your own personal health so you can minimize the risk of developing pain or other problems later on in life, such as:
Maintain good posture at your desk.This includes not slouching and avoiding prolonged sitting. If you must spend long hours at a desk, make sure you get up and move regularly. A study from Cornell suggests sitting 20 minutes out of every half hour at work, standing for eight minutes, and moving around for at least three minutes.
Invest in a sit-stand desk or a sit-stand desk adapter. According to several studies, participants reported up to a 32% improvement in lower back pain after several weeks of using standing desks. Another study published found that the use of a sit-stand desk reduced upper back and neck pain by 54% after just 4 weeks.
Why you need an ergonomic chair at work. OfficeChairs.com defines a chair as ergonomic when it has an adjustable seat height, seat depth, and lumbar support. You should be able to adjust the height of the chair so that your legs are perpendicular to the floor and the seat pan should allow you to adjust it so that you're able to sit comfortably. Proper and effective lumbar support allows there to be ample support for the lower back so that your spine is in just the right position to allow for good posture.
Reduce Stress to Alleviate Back and Neck Pain
When we’re feeling stressed, our breathing patterns change and cause strain and tension in the mid-back. Our shoulders hunch up and cause pain throughout the upper and middle back. And because people become more sedentary during periods of stress, they stretch and exercise less.
One way you can reduce stress is by managing the amount of incoming information you’re getting. Stacks of paper scattered throughout your office, endless e-mails begging to be answered, and an overflowing voice mailbox not only induce stress, but they also waste time. Set up your office so you have proper storage for everything. Your desk should have at least one file drawer. A filing cabinet with a couple more drawers can have you organized and on track, reducing clutter and stress.
Have Regular Chiropractic Check-Ups
There are a lot of benefits to chiropractic adjustments and not just for pain management, but for overall better general health. For the best results, you should be seeing your chiropractor on a regular basis. It can benefit you by reducing the number of headaches you get, improving your posture, boosting your immune system, and improving any athletic performance you may be engaging in.
Below are some tips on how to choose a chiropractor:
1) Avoid Expensive Prepaid Long-Term Treatment Plans. If the chiropractor requires thousands of dollars for a treatment plan that last months or years, then you are probably in the wrong place.
2) Avoid Offices That Require New Patient Xrays Prior to Treatment and/or Xrays to Monitor Progress. In the absence of red flags (recent trauma, fever, unexplained weight loss, drug use, bladder or bowel incontinence), best practices typically do not warrant Xrays within the first 6 weeks of spinal pain.
3) Avoid Chiropractors That Are Not Patient-Centered. Whenever receiving treatment from a chiropractor or any healthcare professional, be sure that your doctor is listening to you, and changing your treatment accordingly.
Spinal health is absolutely crucial for keeping your body working at its best – not just in terms of physical fitness, but also in aiding good mental health. Take care of your spine and the rest of your body will thank you.