5 Tips To Avoid Painful Spinal Injuries

If you have ever suffered a back or spinal injury, you know how aggravating it can be. These injuries can often times make the simplest of tasks seem impossible. While there is no way to guarantee avoiding injury, there are steps you can take to increase your chances of avoiding them. Follow these five tips to lessen your risk:

1.) Quit Smoking – Smoking cigarettes actually changes the chemical makeup of intervertebral disks. Due to this, they become susceptible to dehydration and in turn more likely to tear or wear down.

2.) Stay in Motion – You’ve probably heard it before, but a body in motion tends to stay in motion. Maintaining a healthy weight helps take stress off your spine, lessening its risk of injury.

3.) Maintain Proper Posture – It’s easy to forget about maintaining your posture throughout the day. Sitting in a chair for hours at a time makes it too easy to slouch or hunch over, weakening the natural alignment of the spine. If this sounds like you, consider re-arranging your work environment to be more ergonomic.

4.) Take a Break – It’s easy to forget about maintaining your posture throughout the day. Sitting in a chair for hours at a time makes it too easy to slouch or hunch over, weakening the natural alignment of the spine. If this sounds like you, consider re-arranging your work environment to be more ergonomic.

5.) Do Not Ignore Pain – People often do not want recognize that they may have an injury. Rather than taking steps to find out, there seems to be a mindset that everything will eventually heal itself. This could be the worst thing that you do for your back. If you experience any pain, stop what your doing and seek medical attention.