3 advices to have a healthy spine

We often forget spine health when we think of our overall health status. That foundation structure of our body is engaged in all of our daily tasks. It is the most important part of our skeleton. The role of the spine is not just foundational, it is also a part of our body that coordinates all of our moves. Knowing that, we have to pay attention to how do we prevent possible pain in different parts of the spine and this article will help you with that.

Once you gather knowledge of how to do corrective spine exercises and why you should do them, you are in the right way. Be humble, start with low tier exercises. Some of you will find them very easy but for some people, they present a real challenge. Also, I highly suggest searching for a well-educated practitioner. A professional will always do thing methodically and he or she will have an answer to all of your questions. You will get knowledge and how to, and later you will be able to implement acquired pieces of knowledge and create healthy spine workout routines.

Spine – Foundation and coordination role

If you take a picture of the human spine you will immediately see that it is a tower structure. Vertebra by vertebra, from the tail bone to the head it supports surrounding muscles and the whole human body structure. Different insertions for the muscles and starting points of different muscles can be found through all of the spines. This foundation role asks for a proper level of stabilization so that structure can be secured. I am sure you wouldn’t like the idea of a house with bad foundations.

Next thing is a spine coordination role. Every movement asks for spine intervention on neural and on the musculoskeletal level. The input information, once when it is processed in the brain, starts its neural way to the muscles and becomes an output in terms of some kind of healthy movement. That neural impulse travels through the spine and demands for proper coordination of the whole system. That is one part of this role.

The other one is the coordination role in the musculoskeletal level. Imagine dance as a movement. What kind of movement does it demand? Flexion, extension, lateral flexion, rotation of hips, rotation of thoracic part of spine. Spine moderates all of those movements. We can say that the spine is a bandmaster who assigns a proper rhythm. A proper mobilization possibility is needed so that all of those can be achieved.

Advice #1 – Spine mobilization and decompression routines

This is a starting point when it comes to spine health. Negative factors, our sedentary life is bringing are first reflected in our spine. Firstly, it starts with building a bad posture pattern. Forward head position, excessive lumbar lordosis, hips in a bad position. Those are just a few of possible bad patterns you develop by prolonged sitting sessions or other unhealthy habits.

By developing bad posture pattern, your muscles are becoming shorten or lengthen on an inappropriate length. That is a path of developing an unstable structure with sure pain outcome. To prevent that, you have to start with decompression and spine mobilization exercises. There are numerous ways of doing that. When you start doing this, you will immediately feel the benefits of it. Grater range of motion, greater freedom in your joints and in the spine and suddenly lifting your shoulders without compensation in other spine regions, to an ear level will no longer be a problem. You will start preparing the terrain for imbalanced system change by making a relief.

Advice #2 – Spine stabilization exercises

Also, a very important part of spine health status. Take a lower back as an example. To prevent lower back pain, your structure must stay stable. When we say structure, we think of spine, but abdominal muscles play a big role here, deep abdominal muscles particularly. The role they play here is a stabilization support role. Two kinds of muscles are highlighted here – stabilization muscles and rotators.

We live in a multidimensional world. Take an act playing backhand in tennis for example. From the running act, you start a stabilization transfer that will result in rotation of a torso and hitting a ball. Imagine the amount of force and coordination needed to create this movement on an elite level. Stabilization is surely a good word, but with rotation and anti-rotation component included. That is how you create your stabilization exercise routine. You implement „pure“ stabilization exercises like plank or side plank, but also adding rotation and anti-rotation elements in your training.

Advice #3 – Make a proper workout progression

Every aspect of life has its progression phases. It is the same with healthy spinal workout routines. You start with low tier mobility and stability exercises. Step by step, you add a little bit more complexed patterns and connect them into meaningful spine workout complex. Once when each piece of the puzzle is on its place, and all of the preparation jobs is done you end up with using things you have learned to build a very well-structured training routine.

You create better movement patterns. Squatting and hip-hinging are not a problem anymore, and press exercises are a piece of cake for you. The reason for that is step by step progression. You fixed a problem and then started with ‘real’ training. Remember, always start from the beginning. There is enough time to achieve the end goals. Spine-health is not something you want to gamble with.