Focus on posture!

We’ve heard it all before: ”Stand up straight!” or “Don’t slouch!” And even if as kids we had our standing posture corrected over and over (did anybody have to walk with stacked books on their heads?), chances are we grew up and, well, sort of forgot about it. Still, there are lots of reasons to stay mindful of our posture, particularly as we age. It keeps our bones and joints in the right alignment to ensure that we are using less energy and muscle strain to support ourselves, which will certainly cut down on any back pain we may experience in our lives. It also minimizes risks of injury or abnormal joint motion, making it a key contributor to a healthy lifestyle. Yup, turns out all those folks telling you not to slouch were right!

The consequences of poor posture go beyond simple misalignment. The postural muscles that we use to maintain support for our bodies--several groups including the hamstrings and back muscles--can easily undergo excessive strain and make them far more susceptible to injury. Even sore muscles, the most common effect of poor posture, are a real pain to deal with. And on top of all that there is spinal curvature and constriction of important blood vessels and nerves, all of which can lead to further complications, injuries, and pain down the road.

You probably know the gist of what makes a good standing posture: keep your head level, your knees bent slightly and legs shoulder width apart, and stand tall with your shoulders back. But posture is just as important when sitting or lying down--possibly even more so, as these are the times when your postural muscles may be prone to relaxing and losing strength and elasticity. When sitting, keep your lower back supported and avoid leaning forward excessively, keep your forearms parallel to the ground and your feet on the floor (i.e., avoid excessive crossing of the legs). When lying down, avoid lying on your stomach and pay special attention to using the proper pillow (for more on that, check out our recent blogpost on the topic).

So even though it may seem hard to correct posture habits that have persisted for a long time, the results can be an immediate relief, and it’s worth the effort. Make sure to follow proper guidelines for maintaining proper alignment, and avoid the urge to slouch down or bend over your desk or computer screen. Be aware that posture is not just a factor when standing or walking, but also sitting and lying down. Do your body a favor, and next time you hear “Stand up straight,” show that you’re listening! 

Focus on seatbelts!

At a time when lawmakers are embroiled in non-stop arguing, dealmaking, compromising and promise-breaking, it’s nice to see something new on the books that will indisputably help improve the health of our nation: just this week, the federal National Highway Traffic Safety Administration announced that large buses and motorcoaches will soon be required to provide seatbelts for their passengers. The change comes after nearly 50 years of lobbying by accident investigators and opposition from bus operators, who fought the addition of seatbelts largely for reasons of cost. In the end, a deal was worked out wherein seatbelts would have to be installed in all new buses starting in 2016, although it may take a while for the rest of the nation’s 29,000 existing motorcoaches are caught up with the new regulation.
 
While the change may seem like common sense, it has actually taken quite a bit of sobering and even tragic evidence before lawmakers could be convinced of its necessity. Indeed, an average of 21 people are killed every year in large bus crashes, and nearly 8,000 are injured, mostly as a result of rollover crashes, during which passengers are sometimes ejected from the bus--precisely the kind of situation seatbelts are designed to prevent! And there are still many things left to fix--safety concerns remain, for instance, with bus windows, which may not prevent ejection as well as they could, and motorcoach roofs, which may not always be strong enough to withstand rollover crashes.
 
Still, seatbelts are by far the most effective safety step one can take on the road. The statistics don’t lie--according to the NHTSA, seatbelts saved more than 75,000 lives between 2004-2008, and in general, wearing a seatbelt can reduce the risk of crash injuries by 50%! And, despite the fact that 88% of people now use seatbelts in their own cars nationally (a record high), there are still plenty of preventable unbelted fatalities on the road: according to the same NHTSA study 1600 lives and 22,000 injuries could have been prevented if seatbelt use were to go up to 90% in every state. More than 40% of children that die in crashes are unbelted, as are 58% of teens; it’s clear that while we’ve come pretty far with seatbelt laws, there is still quite a long way to go.
 
Seatbelts are also hugely valuable from a chiropractic perspective--in addition to being lifesaving tools, they also are the most important thing preventing lasting back and neck pain after an auto accident. In fact, whiplash--one of the most common ailments seen by chiropractors after crashes--can be prevented by the use of seatbelts and properly fitted head restraints. It’s absolutely clear: no other safety improvement (and there are many at work in modern automobiles) comes close to matching the life-saving (and pain-avoiding!) potential of a properly-used seatbelt.

While there is clearly much to celebrate in the new law for motorcoaches, the push for greater further safety improvements is not over: new regulations for buses (windows that prevent ejection, and stronger roofs that don’t cave in) are expected to be proposed next year. Hopefully, we can look forward to more good news for the safety of the 700 million of us who are transported by motorcoach every year.

Focus on pillows!

I know it may seem shocking at times when we feel overworked, overstimulated and busier than ever--but we humans actually spend a third of our lifespan in our beds asleep! And even though we use that time to recuperate mentally and physically from the hardships of the day, our bodies are still working--and still capable of being put under stress. In fact, it’s quite common for spinal injury recovery to be greatly affected by the manner in which we rest--for better or worse! Since we’ve covered ergonomics previously with the aim of helping you make your waking life a little less stressful on the spine, we thought we’d do the same for the time you spend asleep--here are some basic guidelines on the ergonomics of pillows.

Like anything dealing with as wide of variety of ailments as this, there is no one solution; every person, every body, and every condition is different. But some things are universal, after all, and the necessity for comfort and support when sleeping is one those things! That’s why above all, it’s important to make sure that you are able to rest comfortably with your choice of pillow--although perhaps a bit surprisingly, this probably doesn’t mean you’ll want to grab the softest, fluffiest pillow out there; in fact, pillows with soft down or feather padding tend to be less helpful than pillows made from firmer materials. After all, a pillow needs to be able to change shape to adapt to the changing positions our bodies take on as we sleep; having a bit of a firmer pillow will mean a greater amount of malleability and support.

Support--that’s really the name of the game when it comes to neck pillows, since ultimately what we have to shoot for is bedding which allows for relaxation of our spine and an opportunity to recuperate from any pain we may be feeling. Sometimes pillows that are especially contoured to fit around our head and neck can do the trick, sometimes a standard but well-made pillow will be satisfactory (in fact, depending on the injury, some patients end up feeling better with no pillow at all; like we said, there’s no one solution); the best thing to do is try different types out and see which one works for you. But don’t scrimp on support--it’s what provides the essential cushion your spine needs!

And this applies not only to the neck, but the whole body; after all, your spine is also affected by the position of your back, legs, and other extremities, so you’ll want to be sure you’re taking care of those too! Consider getting a body pillow--these can be used for support for those of us who like to sleep on our sides--or a lower back support pillow that cushions the inward curve of the lower spine. Try out a variety of pillows to see which work for you; if you’re a “more the merrier” type, then go all out!

Sleep is an essential time for recouping the losses of the day in terms of strain and pain. Your body deserves to get the same restful treatment as your mind--and if you’re someone who suffers from back or neck pain, you’ll be grateful for the extra effort you put in!

Focus on ergonomics!

Now that we’ve turned the clocks back and the weather isn’t as cooperative as it used to be, you can probably count on spending quite a bit more time inside than you did during the balmy summer months (remember those?). Add this to the amount of time you’re probably spending sitting around at an office or place of work, and you might be looking at an astonishing amount of time spent seated, reclining, or just plain lazing around. And while there’s nothing wrong with a little R&R, the fact is that too much sitting around—or more specifically, too much time spent seated in the wrong way—can wreak havoc on your spinal health. And while we’ve covered office and workplace health here before, there can be no doubt that there’s plenty more to say on the subject of ergonomics—the science of designing toward our physiological needs, at home, in the office, or anywhere else.

The single factor that makes ergonomics so important is time: more specifically, the staggering amounts of time we spend, on average, sitting down—roughly 7.7 hours a day! The statistics about this trend are alarming: since load on the spine is actually less when standing up than sitting down, people who sit for most of the day are at elevated risk for back pain as well as conditions as diverse as diabetes, heart disease, obesity and depression. The science is so clear on this, in fact, that many doctors have begun to speak of the trend as a “sitting disease,” responsible for a vast number of new ailments!
Thankfully, there are plenty of options for improving the way we work, stand, sit, and everything in between. One trend that’s been picking up steam in this field is the option of working at a standing desk, rather than sitting, straining or slumping to read a computer screen, and all the rest. This way—with the body held at a healthy standing posture--requires the core muscles to stay engaged, preventing our bodies from slouching down or relaxing to too great a degree. Other variations on this theme include using exercise balls to keep muscles engaged while working, using unusual but highly ergonomic office chairs, or simply designing a more ergonomic workplace setup.
Be aware, however, that ergonomics don’t only apply to the workplace, or even just to sitting! There are many instances in our daily lives where overall health could be improved by simply making a minor ergonomic adjustment. For example, with winter around the corner, the number of back injuries from snow shoveling is sure to shoot up—it’s one of the most common ailments during colder months! Staying warm, pacing oneself and making use of ergonomic lifting techniques will ensure that a task as straightforward as snow removal doesn’t lead to hassles and pain down the road.
Last but certainly not least, keep an eye on your posture at all times; whether standing, sitting, or even lying in bed, the manner in which we keep our spine straight can have major effects on our overall health and mean the difference between comfort and pain. Be certain that you’re following good practices, and rest easy, at work and at home!