Few minutes of good posture goes a long way

In the past two decades, life expectancy in India has increased by more than 10 years.

BENGALURU: In the past two decades, life expectancy in India has increased by more than 10 years. WHO’s World Statistics Report 2016 says that life expectancy at birth in India is 68.3 years, up from 58 years in 1990. This increase has lead to an increase in health issues linked to age. Common among these health issues is problems with the back or spine. As our spine is a weight bearing structure, ‘wear and tear’ of the structures in and around the spine is a common and unavoidable consequence of age.

Exercise Regularly
‘You are only as young as your spine is flexible’. Many adults and elderly people, especially those who do not exercise regularly, feel their spine to be stiff. Apart from the routine of moderately intense aerobic/ brisk walking for 15-20 minutes to take care of your heart, inclusion of  weight-bearing aerobic exercise, along with calcium and vitamin D supplementation, is a critical component to combat the development of bone loss or osteoporosis which can weaken the spine and put you at risk of a spinal fracture. Some basic core strengthening exercises for just 10 min in the morning and evening will help improve posture and strengthen the spine.

Maintain Good Posture
While sitting, sit upright with shoulders back. A chair with lumbar support or a pillow at the small of your back will help give added support the back needs when sitting. Setting your chair height so that your feet can easily reach the ground will also help relieve the strain on your spine. Make sure you get up and move around every 45 minutes or so. While standing, keep your weight balanced on both feet. Don’t slouch. The feet, hips and shoulders should be in alignment. Wear comfortable low-heeled shoes.

Weight Check
Your spine is accustomed to bearing ‘your average weight’. Putting on weight with age is putting strain on the spine. On an average, you should not put on more than 10 per cent of your average weight during young and middle age years. If your weight increases more than 25 per cent, then the risk of back pain almost doubles.

Medium-Firm Mattress
People have been told that sleeping on a firm mattress can prevent or reduce back pain but in reality you can experience greater pain if the mattress is too firm because it puts more pressure on heavy points like the hips and shoulders. A mattress that is too soft could lack the support necessary to allow proper movement. In both cases, the person wakes up stiff and in pain. Studies show that a medium-firm mattress offers an ideal amount of support to help prevent injury.

Stop Smoking
Smoking has several deleterious effects on the body. Similarly, it has been shown to increase the rate of progression and severity of age related degeneration of the spine. Plus there are other health benefits of quitting smoking.

Don’t Neglect Back Pain
Many people neglect back pain, either attributing it to age related changes or living with it due to fear of surgery. If the source of pain is diagnosed early, small precautions and lifestyle changes can prevent it from worsening and causing damage to the nerves in the spine. In many cases, non-interventional pain management measures can effectively make you pain free and help you get back on your routine. Even if surgery is indicated, modern advances in spine surgery, including minimally invasive and endoscopic spine surgery lead to shorter hospital stay and faster recovery.


The author is a consultant -neurosurgery, head of Spine Services at Aster CMI

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