6 TIPS TO MAINTAIN GOOD POSTURE AND KEEP YOUR SPINAL CORD HEALTHY

Back ache is one of the most frequent complaints in any neurology OPD. With the advent of the “work from home” era, long working hours on a chair and desk have led to poor posture of spine with continuous bending and spraining of neck and back, not to mention the increasingly stressful levels of work. If proper care and attention is not given to maintain a physiological posture of the spine, it may cause chronic back pain with degenerative disc disease with loss of tone and strength of paraspinal and other back muscles. Following measures can be taken to ensure proper care of our spine:

Regular yoga and back exercises

Regular yoga as a part of our lifestyle ensures good body agility and imparts favourable tone to muscles. It also maintains adequate blood flow to muscles and helps in rejuvenation of degenerating muscle fibres. Not only it keeps the body physically active, but also gives a respite from continuous mental stress.

Breaks from work at regular intervals

Even if long working hours cannot be avoided, frequent breaks with change in body posture should be inculcated in the routine to avoid posture related aches and pains.

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Diet

Dr. Ishu Goyal, Deputy Consultant Neurologist, Sir HN Reliance Foundation Hospital says, “Unhealthy eating habits containing saturated fats should be avoided and a diet close to Mediterranean diet should be followed with lots of antioxidants containing dietary substances like seasonal fruits, vegetables and nuts.”

Avoid heavy weightlifting

Most of the back injuries are noted to be a consequence of sudden weight lifting and jerks to the spine. These injuries should be avoided especially when the back muscles are not toned enough to bear such hefts.

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Weight management

All the above measures work well when supplemented with keeping a check on one’s weight. Sedentary lifestyle compounds the back issues as it also leads to rapid weight gain. Lean body provides good strength and flexibility to the body.

Medical attention

If one continues to have a lot of back pain even after taking all these measures, or if the pain shoots down in a particular manner repeatedly or causes difficulty in walking or sleeping, it should be brought to medical attention for accurate diagnosis and treatment.