Some of the most common back injuries occur when you pick up a relatively heavy object from the floor and move it to a higher level. Back injuries also can occur when you lift a lighter object or absorb a falling weight, where you twist your spine. Medical research has shown that a strong and supple back is more resistant to fatigue and to injury. These injuries are often caused by acute over-stress or by chronic overuse.

This article discusses the importance of spine flexibility and the Do’s and Don’ts of proper stretching for a healthy back.

Why is back health important?

Any time that you twist or bend at the waist, you are putting a physical load on your spine and the muscles that support it. If the flexibility of your back and hamstring area is not good when you bend forward, when you bend to the side, or when you twist at the waist, the strain that you put on your spine and its muscles is greater. If the movement you make at the waist is quick or beyond your normal range of motion, your chances of back injury are much greater. If you stretch correctly and regularly, every movement that you do that involves your back will become easier. This is the reason that good back flexibility is important in reducing the chances of back injury in your job, as well as away from the job.

Some Basic Rules for SAFE and EFFECTIVE Stretching There are five basic rules regarding stretching which you should keep in mind as you begin to focus on improving the flexibility of your spine.

1. Stretching exercises, if done correctly, should not be painful! If you are feeling pain during a stretch, you have gone too far beyond your normal range of motion for that exercise. Proper stretching will cause you to feel a good level of muscle tension and a little bit of a ‘burn’ but will keep you in the pain-free range of motion.

2. Stretching exercises must be performed gradually and progressively without jerking! You should NEVER bounce up and down during a stretch to try and extend your range of motion. Always do your stretch slowly and with complete control so that you do not risk an injury (muscle pull or spasm) during the exercise. This will ensure that your stretching routine is as effective as possible.

3. Each stretch should be “held” for 30 to 40 seconds to be most effective! If you only hold your stretched position for 5 to 10 seconds, you will not gain in flexibility. In order to see some real improvement in the suppleness of your spine and other joints, you must hold each stretch for 30 to 40 seconds while you consciously try to relax the muscles which normally tense up.

4. Do not hold your breath during the stretching exercise! Breath normally during your stretching exercises and avoid holding your breath. Try to be rhythmical (a steady pace) in your breathing as this will increase the feeling of relaxation which you will feel as you become more practiced in proper stretching techniques.

5. Stretching exercises should be done every day! There is no reason why you cannot set aside 15 minutes each day (perhaps while you are watching television or before you get out of bed in the morning) to complete your stretching routine.

An increase in flexibility of your spine will help to reduce the chances of suffering painful injuries to your back. As this is an area of importance within your physical conditioning regimen, we recommend that you invest in any number of excellent publications on this topic – such as the book titled “Stretching” by Bob and Jean Anderson (ISBN #0-936070-01-3) – to learn more about proper stretching technique and the various exercises you can use to build an effective stretching routine.

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Using the capability to measure brain activity and its connection to bodily health improving every single yr, research and theories about the brain-body connection are turning into extra and much more common. The more we discover about the functions with the brain and pathways by means of which it communicates with our cells and senses, the more likely we are to increase our mental, emotional, and useful capacities and overcome illness.

With so significantly emphasis about the brain-body connection, a logical question must be asked: What keeps the brain heading? Paradoxically, the reply to this issue will be the physique. Even though the brain is holding the physique healing and vibrating along, nutrients from eating, drinking, breathing, along with the merchandise of mobile purpose keep the brain healing and vibrating. Nutrients important to the brain for survival-such as oxygen glucose-are transported from your physique to the brain by means of the fluid inside of your spinal canal, called the cerebrospinal (spine-brain) fluid or CSF. This fluid gets from your backbone towards the brain using the utilization of a CSF pump. This CSF pump doesn’t use electricity. The energy for your pump is created by motion with the sacrum (lowest portion of the backbone) plus the cervical backbone (upper portion of the spine).

For that CSF pump to move effectively, you need a healthy spinal column. Irregular or decreased movement with the sacrum and/or cervical spine because of vertebral subluxation will result in irregular and reduced flow of oxygen, glucose, as well as other crucial nutrients. That’s why the spine-brain connection is so critical. A bad back again or a bad neck will literally give you a poor brain. A wholesome backbone not just will get you operating better, but also gets you thinking clearer.

Evidence from the lifestyle saving, daily life extending, benefits of attaining and sustaining greatest nerve supply showed up in a virtual “Fountain of Youth” analyze at the College of Lund. Scientists took patients who had taken some treatment of their spine by means of visiting a chiropractor some instances, and in contrast them to these that had been taking care of their spine and nerve supply for a lengthy period of time. In these two groups, the scientists checked to determine how nicely they dealt with oxidative stress a crucial variable in aging as well as the improvement of disease.

Basically stated, as we reside lifestyle, we are subjected to physical, biochemical, and psychological anxiety. Our capacity to restore damage DNA is an essential factor in health and longevity. Oxidative anxiety is now a broadly accepted theory of how we age and develop illness. Oxidative stress results in DNA damage, and it inhibits DNA repair. The individuals that had been under lengthy term chiropractic treatment of their backbone showed far greater ability to resist DNA damage and to fix damage that was done.