10 steps to a healthy back

http://www.drroyashford.com/treatments/10-tips-to-a-healthy-back.html

 

Dr. Ashford's 10 Steps to a Healthy Back

1.      Walking is the simplest form of exercise, but too often overlooked. Walking 30 minutes a day promotes strength, endurance and balance. Walk at a brisk pace, hold your chest up, look forward and team with others to keep camaraderie.

2.      Core strengthening exercises work the torso or abdominals to create support for the spine. A trained physical therapist can best instruct you on a daily program.

3.      Posture is critical to the proper alignment of the spine. Sitting or walking with proper alignment will relax the muscles allowing the spine to function with the least internal stresses.

4.      Awareness of Body Mechanics allows for protection of the spine. Excessive lifting, twisting or awkward motions should be avoided. Lifting should be done with the object close to the body, directly in front, knees bent and preferably with help or if you have a known spine condition, not at all!

5.      Body weight is never the cause of a bad back, but certainly adds more physical stress to the spine. A loss of one pound takes two to three pounds off the spine. During heavy lifting, the spine supports 5 to 10 times your body weight. A loss of ten pounds can yield a decrease in 100 pounds less stress to the back.

6.      Smoking cessation is the single best health decision anyone can make. Smoking inhibits the microvasculature that sustains the vital structures of the spine. This can lead to progressive degeneration and in the case of surgery, leads to poorer outcomes and higher complications.

7.      Active lifestyle includes your favorite activities in daily routines. Swimming, Yoga, Pilates along with activities in the gym will keep muscles and bones strong. Activities should be done regularly in a consistent and moderate level. Any new activity should be worked into a routine slowly, if it hurts, DON’T do it. The most important gauge of success is if you enjoy it.

8.      The treatment of Osteoporosis is not medications. It begins in your 30’s, to maximize bone density and then to maintain it for the rest of your life. Calcium, vitamin D and weight bearing exercise, walking light weight lifting, are essential. Don’t be afraid to ask for a “Bone Density” or DEXA scan to check for osteoporosis by age 50. If osteoporosis is identified, then medications can be added to help fight the loss of bone.

9.      Balance training is essential to ambulation and is quickly lost after the age of 70. Tai Chi classes, walking on uneven surfaces or balance boards are very effective to increase the sense of balance. If your balance is already wavering, seek direction with a trained physical therapist, for a specific balance program.

10. Stress Relief is essential to a balance in our health. Meditation, prayer, yoga, deep breathing or simple quiet time away from the rigors of life, allows the body and mind, time to rebuild.

Always remember to seek advice from a physician with specific training in spine care to make an accurate diagnosis and treatment plan for you. If usual activities are not able to be accomplished, numbness or weakness is persisting, or any neurological deficit progresses, seek professional advice. These are warning signs that require a careful work up.

 

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FW: test your sleeping SPINAL Q

 

 

 

http://www.registerstar.com/articles/2011/04/30/columnists/news_from_the_chiropractor_manson/doc4d80f72aa921e247783805.txt

 

 

Test your sleeping ‘Spinal Q’

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By Dr. Brandon Manson

Published:

Wednesday, March 30, 2011 2:11 AM EDT

If you are like most people, you look forward to a good night’s sleep. The following true or false statements may provide some fodder for thought while waiting for the REM zone ...

True or false:

Sleeping with two pillows under your head is better for you than sleeping with one.

False: Whether you sleep on your side or on your back, using two pillows under your head will force your spine into an abnormal position. In the short term, this abnormal spinal position can cause muscle and ligament soreness, tightness and fatigue. Eventually, chronic spinal problems may result. Sleeping with one pillow is better and a correctly contoured “cervical” pillow or small cervical roll is best. Contoured pillows or cervical rolls provide optimum support for your neck while sleeping and help to maintain normal cervical lordosis (spinal curvature in the neck) and spinal alignment.

Sleeping on your stomach is one of the least healthy positions in which to sleep.

True: Lower back and neck pain are two of the more immediate and obvious signs that “stomach sleeping” is not good for you. For some people, sleeping on their stomach may not produce symptoms for months or years. Unfortunately, when symptoms do start, poor sleeping habits are usually well established and spinal problems have become advanced.

The preferred position in which to sleep — in terms of both comfort and spinal health — is the fetal position (on the side with knees and hips bent slightly) with a thin pillow between the knees. This will help maintain the back in neutral position and minimize early morning low back stiffness.

The best position in which to read in bed is to lie on your back with your head propped up high.

False: Chiropractic doctors treat many patients with neck and upper back problems that are the direct result of poor postural habits. A common postural mistake involves the habit of lying on one’s back with the head propped up while reading or watching television. This position forces the head and neck into extreme sustained flexion, causing compression of the spinal discs, stretching of the spinal cord and cervical nerves that come out of the cervical spine and abnormal tension on the posterior neck muscles.

In small doses, such stresses are normal and easily accommodated by the body. The problems begin when these positions become habitual or a regular part of one’s routine. Repeated and long-term postural abuse will almost invariably cause chronic soft tissue damage, spinal distortions and accelerated spinal degenerative change.

The best position in which to read while in bed is the same as when you are sleeping — lying on one side with the head and neck in a neutral position. Think posture ... always!

***

Dr. Brandon Manson is a local chiropractor and, along with his wife, Dr. Keri Bunbury, own KB Chiropractic in Hudson and Kingston. Dr. Manson is originally from Germantown and has returned to provide health services to the community. He attended Palmer College of Chiropractic in Davenport, Iowa, and, now, as a leader in health care, welcomes any questions pertaining to wellness and preventative medicine. Contact information: e-mail KBchiropractic@verizon.net.

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FW: Posture and Performance: Balance

 

http://www.bobalonzi-advanced-rolfer.com/bobs-articles.php

 

Bob's Articles

POSTURE AND PERFORMANCE: The Body Functions Best When in Balance The words we all heard from parents and teachers, "Stand up straight. Pull your shoulders back. You don't look good when you slump." And that message lives on as we get older. Only the voices speaking to us about posture are our own which includes the kinesthetic voice of how our bodies feel. The posture ideal of the shoulders back and a ramrod straight spine is an unachievable goal. We fight hard to get shoulders back and a naturally curved spine to become unnaturally straight. The muscular effort to hold these positions is fatiguing and limiting of movement and balance. In the end we give up the fight and allow our bodies to slump and curve until gravity works to establish a pattern in our body that serves us no better than the postural ideal. So, then, what do we do to correct what seems like a problem with no resolution? The issues of poor posture, compromised balance and limited function are about reeducating the body. It begins with a desire for change and correction, and moves to seeking help from skilled practitioners, who are specialists in working with the human structure to achieve long lasting changes that enhance alignment, balance and function. This may require hands on treatment to correct aberrations in soft tissue, joint mobilization to improve alignment, strengthening activities to correct muscular imbalances and flexibility exercise to insure optimal muscle and joint function. In addition, the development of awareness of behavioral patterns which reinforces the problem being corrected, and how to understand the roll choice has in maintaining improved posture and function. Professionals who are Certified Rolfers or Certified Advanced Rolfers are trained to effect changes in soft tissue patterns with direct hands-on manipulation and to educate the client with instruction in movement , behavior awareness and pattern formations. It is this combination of correction and education that allows a person to improve posture in a natural and comfortable way as well as being able make the internal and structural changes needed to maintain better balance, joint mobility and appearance. Bob Alonzi Certified Advanced Rolfer

When Working With Athletes When I am working with competitive athletes (amateur or professional) I will make a point of learning about their training regimens and performance through their coaches and then from the athletes. I may even go and watch them train so I can see them in movement in their activities. I want specifics that includes whatever training formulas they use. I want to know when they will compete and when they will have down time. I also want to know what their goals are for a given training period and a specific competition. Remember... training, performance and competition aren't the same objectives. The questions I ask my athlete clients is "what are your goals short and long term? How do you see Rolfing help you prepare for your sport?" When working with athletes the change that I look for is in performance. What is the athlete telling me about the difference in his/her game, form, and abilities. What do I see different in alignment, movement and awareness. What do the coaches say as being different about the athlete on the playing field -- physical, emotional, cognitive. In my opinion, athletes are better served if you help them find their "line" in their sport. In the language of athletes, lasting changes translate into improved performance and the awareness that rises from knowing the body is functioning more efficiently. I also find that elite athletes bring a kinesthetic awareness to the Rolfing studio that the average client may not. But what is important here is finding the common language between Rolfer and athlete. That the language we use as Rolfers and how we apply concepts and models to bodies standing still or walking in our studio's, may not play out the same for a body in dynamic movement. What may work better is language that helps both Rolfer and athlete understand the body in performance. Using models that are fluid can serve to enhance our vision and interventions in helping the athletes performance. When working with athletes, I find that Rolfing based on principles is more effective than working by formula. For me it is more efficient and for the athlete it is to the point and more effective in enhancing performance. I also find it is less disruptive to the athletes training schedule and easier to schedule around competitions. Bob Alonzi Certified Advanced Rolfer

 

 

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