Spine Health: 4 Tips for Maintaining a Healthy Spine

These simple guidelines can help you avoid pain and keep your back and spine in good shape.

Spine Health 101

Our spine is one of the most important parts of our body. It not only gives our body the structure and support, the spine also protect our spinal cord, which is a column of nerves that connects our brain to the rest of our body, allowing us to control our movement. The spine also protects our organs, and if it is unhealthy, it can affect our organ function. Therefore keeping our spine healthy is vital if we want to live an active life.

To achieve a healthy spine, it is important to remember the 4 key factors below:

1) Strength

You core muscles is located in your lower back and abdomen. They need to be strong in order to support your spine and take pressure off your lower back. Unfortunately, most of us have sedentary lifestyle so our core muscles are rarely used enough during our daily activities. These muscles need to be toned and strengthen through targeted core strengthening exercises.

If you are unsure which exercise is suitable for you, you can make an appointment with us and our physiotherapists will be able to assist you.

2) Endurance

Strength and endurance often goes hand-in-hand. Muscle strength is the ability to exert a force in a short period of time whereas muscle endurance is the ability to do something over and over for an extended period of time without getting tired.

Doing less repetitions with more weight will help you increase your strength. Doing more repetitions with lighter weights will help you build up endurance. Both are equally important.

To build endurance, repetition is key.

3) Balancing

Fall is one of the leading causes of injury for senior citizens in Singapore. The easiest way to prevent it is by improving your balance to do balancing exercises.

One of the best balancing exercise is the Single Limb Stance. It's best to start off by using a steady chair for support. Stand behind the chair and hold on to the back of it and lift up your right foot and balance only on your left foot. Hold that position for as long as you can, then switch feet.

The goal should be to stand on one foot without holding onto the chair and hold that pose for up to a minute.

4) Flexibility

Try these stretches to increase the mobility of your spine:

Middle Back Stretches

Back/Lower Limb Stretches

Pay attention to any warning signs. It is common to experience back pain once in a while. However, if the pain persists, it is important to seek medical care immediately to learn about your spine and the correct treatment for your symptoms.