5 facts about the spine on the day of back health
The back muscles and the spine are like a ship's mast and the shrouds that support it - good musculature gives the spine the necessary support as stability decreases with age. So the annoying back pain can even be prevented with a well trained back musculature. To the day of the back health on 15. March Dr. Stefan Nolte, Chefarzt of the conservative Orthopädie in the spinal column center at the sport hospital Hellersen, sets five facts approximately around the spinal column - the ship mast of the body - out.
Every intervertebral disc loses more or less of its "resilience" with age and becomes unstable. The back muscles compensate for this instability, but the more unstable the spine, the more muscles are needed. If the muscles try to hold the spine in place and do not succeed, they become tense or cramped. The so-called non-specific back pain develops.
A first sign of an unstable spine is a stiff back. If you find it increasingly difficult to get out of bed in the morning or feel back tension after sitting for a long time, you should take action now at the latest and urgently do something for your muscles. Those affected also often notice that standing for long periods becomes increasingly difficult for them and that they are restless because they cannot stay in one position for long.
It is good to alternate between active and passive sitting, for example on a so-called ball cushion. With this, you can train your muscles while sitting, "actively" sitting. However, in order not to risk overstraining yourself, you should also sit leaning on the chair again and again. The body loves change, or alternating pressure. A height-adjustable desk therefore also has this desired effect - in this case by alternating between sitting and standing. Since the intervertebral discs themselves are not supplied with blood, they are nourished by the alternating pressure load caused by the movement. In addition, the movement stimulates blood flow to the muscles.
When preventing through sports, the first question is who is doing the sport. For young people whose spinal discs are still elastic, any sport is good for prevention. On the other hand, people whose spine is already somewhat unstable should avoid intense stop-and-go sports such as squash, as these sports can put a lot of stress on the spinal segments. If the muscles are not built up accordingly, the spine may not be able to withstand the stress well. Cycling and rowing are particularly recommended instead. The reason for this is that they primarily involve forward and backward movements without provoking stressful rotation and leverage forces on the intervertebral discs.
Over-exertion should be avoided urgently. A little muscle soreness the next day is fine, but pain beyond that is evidence that the sport was too intense. The tricky thing is that the person concerned usually only notices the next day when the workout has not done the spine any good, because the back feels stiff. It is therefore important to find the right dosage and a sport that suits the body. For those whose back muscles are already overloaded in everyday life, it is important that they get into training at all so that they can build up supportive muscles. Exercising a maximum of once every two days and twice a week is sufficient.
Everyone should prevent and exercise. However, some are more predisposed than others. There are significant genetic differences in the quality of the intervertebral discs and thus the aging of the spine. While some become unstable much more quickly, others remain stable throughout their lives. This means that aging, the degeneration of the spine, is not exclusively related to load. Therefore, it's best to keep your eyes open and observe how your family's back health is doing.
Nevertheless, of course, external circumstances must also be taken into account. The lumbar spine is most often affected, as it has to hold the most weight. However, it is not uncommon for the cervical spine to cause pain as well - post tension is typical, especially when working at a desk.
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