Conscious Choice: Back To Balance

April 2001

Back To Balance

Creating Optimal Spinal Health

by Bob Martin M.S.

We are all striving to create a balanced lifestyle that promotes optimal health and well-being throughout our lifetime. Many of us exercise regularly, eat a fairly nutritious diet, and manage our stress reasonably. By doing so, we support our bodies in staying healthy and well. Did you know that your spine also plays an important role in promoting and maintaining your health? The spinal column is a dynamic system that allows us the flexibility to move and protects the spinal cord, the information relay system that connects the body and the brain. In order to keep the body functioning optimally, the connection between the body and brain must be free flowing. We can actively assist the spine in its work by keeping the bones, muscles, ligaments, and discs of the spine aligned and performing optimally.

Know Your Spine!

In order to create spinal health, you must have a basic understanding of the construction and function of the spine. Often, the spinal column is thought of as a rigid structure. Quite the contrary! Our bones, muscles, ligaments, and discs create a strong yet dynamic system. The spinal column can be compared to building blocks that are stacked on top of one another. It curves in each of three regions, which results in an S-like shape that promotes flexibility, strength, and resilience. Twenty-four individual vertebrae (the bones) make up the three distinct regions of the adult spinal column: seven cervical vertebrae (neck), twelve dorsal vertebrae (mid-back), and five lumbar vertebrae (low-back). Vertebral bones provide protection to the spinal cord and act as anchors for the back muscles and ligaments that stabilize the spinal column. Proper functioning of the muscles and ligaments is essential to the flexibility and mobility of the spine.

Between each vertebra, intervertebral discs function as shock absorbers for the bones. Without these discs, the spine would be an inflexible solid mass of bone. There also are thirty-one pairs of spinal nerves, which make their way from the brain through the openings in the vertebrae and out to the rest of our body. These nerves form a network, which allows for communication between the physiological systems of the body and the brain.

Why do so many people have back problems if the spine is designed to be strong and flexible? There is no single reason for back problems. The greatest risk for developing structural imbalances occurs in people with a family history of back problems. However, many other factors can have an influence. Posture, excess body weight, exercise or lack thereof, and muscular tension can all play a role. In addition, activities that result in an unexpected or forced movement, require very heavy loads to be lifted, and/or entail frequent bending and lifting also increase one’s risk. Regardless of the cause, back troubles are believed to result from structural imbalances of the spinal column that can cause the discs to bulge, protrude, herniate, or impinge on nerves. These conditions result in back pain, but they also may impair the nerve’s ability to relay messages from the organ system to the brain and vice versa. This communication is crucial for maintaining the body’s balance and therefore promoting overall health.

Take an Active Role!

With the exception of genetics, the aforementioned risk factors can be controlled if we take responsibility for our spinal health. Perhaps the easiest place to start and an aspect that can have a profound impact on spinal well-being is posture. Good posture is not only an important component of our spinal health but also of our general health. The manner in which we carry ourselves can affect the depth of our breath, digestion and elimination of foods, as well as the circulation of blood. Poor posture can limit the body’s ability to get oxygen to the cells, absorb nutrients, and rid itself of metabolic waste products. Poor posture also contributes to structural stress of the spine and possible degeneration of the intervertebral discs. Both of these factors can negatively affect nervous system function and, ultimately, our health.

Correcting your posture can be done by simply flattening your lower back against a chair or wall, rolling your shoulders back and down, and tucking your chin and moving the head backward. Other posture exercises, which promote body awareness and conditioning of back musculature, can help those who desire to change their posture (See Supplement Box).

Your choice of daily activities also can help to keep the spine’s support system strong and limber. Activities that promote improvements in flexibility and strength benefit muscle and ligament function, which allows for better spinal alignment. Popular flexibility-enhancing activities include stretching, yoga, and Pilates. Each of these forms of flexibility exercise benefit the muscles’ elasticity, though each does so differently.

Most people are familiar with general static stretching where stretches are held for fifteen to thirty seconds while taking deep breaths. Static stretching is a very gentle and effective way to promote improvements in the back musculature’s flexibility. Yoga, which also involves both stretching and breathing techniques, can strengthen the back muscles, enhance their endurance, and improve their flexibility. Yoga also develops the mind-body connection by demanding concentration on the body and breath. Pilates, which uses non-impact exercises that stretch, strengthen, and balance the muscles of the body, also promotes integration and balance of the body and mind.

Regular cardiovascular exercise and resistance training enhances strength and endurance of the back musculature. Cardiovascular exercise, also known as aerobic exercise, promotes blood flow to the muscles and increases their temperature. Back muscles benefit from greater blood flow because there is an increase in oxygen and nutrient transport with an elevated removal rate of metabolic waste products. The increase in muscle temperature makes muscles more pliable and easier to stretch.

Strength training also conditions back musculature. Resistance exercises can be performed using elastic bands, exercise machines, free weights, or the body’s own weight. While trainers and other experts can offer advice on the most effective way to train, everyone should remember that improper lifting can damage, rather than strengthen, the back. Keep in mind four basic rules: always lift with a straight back, never bend and twist while lifting, keep the object close to your chest, and keep the object as close to waist height as possible.

In recent years, the importance of the mind-body interaction has been elucidated, and it is commonly believed that our emotions can have an impact on the health of the body. Certainly, people who are feeling emotionally stressed hold muscular tension in the body. For many people, this tension is primarily focused in the muscles of the shoulder, neck, and back. Muscles that are tense or tight can pull the spine out of alignment. Therefore, it is important to address the stress in your lifestyle in order to reduce it or find healthy outlets that help let off a little steam.

Stretching and regular exercise are great ways to reduce both stress and the resulting muscle tension. Meditation and deep-breathing exercises are great ways to relax the mind and body. Biofeedback also is effective in controlling, or even eliminating the stress response.

Supportive Spinal Health Care

Chiropractic, naprapathy, acupuncture, rolfing, and massage therapy are all healing modalities that promote optimal spinal health. Each can be used to structurally realign the spine, create nervous system balance, and promote optimal muscular support.

Chiropractors perform spinal assessments to determine the health of your back. They also can manipulate the spine to put it back in alignment. Chiropractors believe that having good structural alignment allows the nerves to effectively relay information between the body and brain. This supports optimal function of the body’s physiological systems. Therapies used by chiropractors can help you get back on your feet faster if you are experiencing back pain, and also help prevent the pain from reoccurring.

Naprapathic doctors are similar to chiropractors in that they believe one of the primary foundations to health is the nervous system’s connection with our organ systems. Naprapathy is different from chiropractic in that it uses much gentler manipulations of the spine to correct structural imbalances. In addition, naprapathy focuses on connective tissue stretching to relieve irritation of nerves as they leave the spinal column.

Rolfing is another form of structural therapy that focuses on creating an optimal support for the spine. This technique releases muscle tension by starting at the surface of musculature and working deeper into the tissue so that muscles are systematically released in stages. The release of muscles allows the body to become aligned and the pelvis to optimally support the spine.

Acupuncture is based on promoting the flow of energy through pathways called meridians. Needles are stuck into points that correlate closely with the nervous system and muscle trigger points. This healing modality can be used for a broad range of illnesses because it balances the body and enhances the natural healing mechanisms.

Massage is a great way to promote relaxation and relieve muscle tension that may be affecting the balance of your spine. By focusing on muscle, a massage therapist promotes optimal function of a primary component of spinal support. In this way, she or he can relieve nerve entrapment and correct postural distortion. As a result, the spine can remain aligned and health of the body/brain connection can be promoted.

Whether it is taking responsibility for the health of your spine or getting supportive care, you can help create the health that will be with you throughout a lifetime. By choosing a combination of exercise, stress reduction, and healing modalities as you need them, you can promote optimal spinal health for yourself.

Bob Martin is an exercise physiologist and owner of Natural Sciences for Health and Wellness, Inc., a company that develops personal fitness programs that promote physical health and wellness. For more information, please call 847-821-9951. Special thanks to Jennifer Martin.

Supplements for Bone and Joint Health

Bones and the joints that make them moveable are essential components of the body’s structural framework. If you want to live an active and healthy life, you must take care of these structures. Here are some supplements that can help support their health:

Bone Health

Calcium, Vitamin D, and Magnesium: Supplements that combine calcium and vitamin D have been shown to increase bone density to a greater extent than calcium alone. Calcium intake should be between 800-1200 mg/day and vitamin D at 400 IU/day. Magnesium is also an important component of bone structure; intake should be at 400-800 mg/day.

Joint Health

Glucosamine Sulfate: This nutrient is the most thoroughly researched and most effective approach to maintaining joint health. As we age, our body’s ability to produce glucosamine diminishes, which impairs the production of new cartilage and leads to reduction in the shock absorbing capacity of the joint. Glucosamine sulfate should be taken at a dose of 1500 mg/day.

Antioxidants (A, C, E): Vitamins A, C, and E are required for normal production of cartilage. Vitamins C and E slow cartilage breakdown and stimulate new cartilage formation. Vitamin A is required for normal manufacturing and maintenance of cartilage. Deficiencies in any of these vitamins will accelerate the degeneration of the body’s joints. If you have been diagnosed with a deficiency, daily recommended dosages generally are as follows: vitamin A (5000 IU), vitamin C (1000-3000 mg), and vitamin E (400-800 IU).

Source: Encyclopedia of Natural Medicine by Murray & Pizzorno.

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