Empower yourself to treat your own spine-related symptoms – back pain, neck pain, arm pain, leg pain
Most people who suffer from back, neck, arm or leg pain are ignorant about the fact that their posture through the day is the cause of this pain as a rule rather than an exception.
Once, more serious conditions have been ruled out by the doctor, the patients can treat themselves by paying more attention to their posture.
The key information is the realization of two basic facts that can empower a person to treat his own spine-related symptoms.
- The weight of the head is 8 – 10 kilograms. This weight is in the line of centre of gravity that is the force that the vertebral column will experience. Fortunately, by natural design, we have been given a nodding movement between the skull and the atlas which allows us to look down without moving this weight away from the centre of gravity. This however is a trained movement in which only people in the security profession such as the army or models walking down the ramp or people who carry weight on their head use. Most of us when we have to look at the table or at the handheld devices find it easier to use gravity to suspend the head forward in front of the line of centre of gravity. Because of lever-action, this magnifies the force effect on the spine tremendously. In fact, the measured force at a 45-degree tilt is 50 pounds.
Now this force effect may not necessarily cause neck pain only because this force is being balanced by the entire spine so lower back pain or leg symptoms can appear because of this constant forward tilt of the head.
- The vertebral column is a combined system very similar to the suspension bridge wherein there are columns and suspension cables or similar to a tent which is held by stays. The vertebral column is held in tension by the abdominal muscle tone, the most important one of which is the transversus abdominis or the innermost layer. This in fact is a very difficult muscle to recruit but if one is able to increase the tone of the transversus abdominis on a constant basis then the vertebral column will not feel the impact of uneven roads, speed breakers, potholes, falls, etc. Even when bend lifting if the abdominal muscles are tucked in it immediately distributes force evenly.
The above 2 guidelines can empower a person to look after his back and neck and avoid spine problems.
- Lastly, there are simple tricks that a person can use to treat his/her spine. For example:
- Suspending the head from the edge of the bed. This is a way of using the weight of the head as traction on the neck and reverse our daily force exertion on the vertebral column.
- Reverse walking would do the same because as we move forward we are constantly chasing our centre of gravity in the front.
- Getting into the chair or out of the chair using our arms to virtually lift us from the chair as a gymnast does from parallel bars.
In general, it has been found that sitting increases the force effect on the spine more than walking. If at all one has to sit then the back should be comfortably rested. There are various chair designs however in my experience most of us tend to us the chair as a stool and never rest the back. It is important to interrupt the sitting time by breaking it into 10 or 15 minutes spells.
- Standing and working is also a good way of looking after the spine.
Resource:
Dr. Sunil Nadkarni is a Senior Orthopaedic and Spine Surgeon with international exposure and over 30 years of experience in treating spinal problems/disorders in patients.
He specialises in Stitchless Spine Surgery under Local Anesthesia for the Cervical Spine (neck pain) and the Lumbar Spine (back pain).
Qualification:
MBBS BJ Medical College 1981
MS (Ortho) 1984
FRCS (Edinburg) 1990
MCh (Liverpool) 1994