I have found that 4 major things play an important part in the health of your spine, back and neck. These four major components are key to having a healthy back, and if you follow them you will notice a considerable difference in your overall back health.
You must have each one of these four things to have a healthy back and spine, they are:
1.) Flexibility
2.) Back Strength
3.) Daily Stretching
4.) Posture
Let's go into each of these four main parts to a healthy back in more detail.
1.) Flexibility
The first thing on our list is flexibility and how flexible your back is. If you are finding that you are throwing your back out a lot, and are experiencing painful back problems, you must think about getting the spine into proper alignment first. When you do have any type of alignment you also will increase the flexibility of your back right along with the alignment, so keep that in mind. Do not try to do any of these exercises if you are currently experiencing spasms, pain, or inflammation.
One of the best steps to increasing the flexibility of your back is to learn yoga and practice it regularly. It has been shown that flexibility in general may also help to prevent heart disease. Work with a gentle yoga program, try a local gym, or just find a DVD that you enjoy. The key is to keep your yoga practice going every day to maintain your flexibility.
2.) Back Strength
This is a key step in helping keep your spine healthy and in getting rid of your back pain. Try to work on your entire back and all of the muscles that surround it. You could work in some exercises throughout the day such as sit-ups, leg lifts or crunches. These will work the muscles along the back and strengthen them considerably. Just be sure to start slowly and not to work out too hard, until you are certain that you can go to the next level with your exercises. In other words, don't keep at it until you are in pain, as this can lead to you really hurting your back. Pain is a warning to you that it's time to slow down.
3.) Daily Stretching
You must do this every day to keep your back healthy. It will pay off though, and in a very big way. So, you want to have some kind of stretching routine that you work through. This will help you strengthen and stretch out the muscles of your back and stomach, which will increase your overall back and spine health considerably. I recommend Tai Chi for helping with this stretching. Check out a local Tai Chi class, if you can find one, or consider a basic Tai Chi DVD video that you can practice with.
4.) Posture
Finally we have your posture which is very important. You need to work at maintaining your posture while you are standing, sitting, and even while you are asleep! I know it may sound crazy but you should try to think of your posture at all times. Try to keep your back straight, do not slouch when sitting, and do your best to find a firm mattress and sleep on your back as much as possible. Side sleeping can lead to all kinds of back and neck problems so try to avoid it as much as possible. You may have to try out several pillows to find the best for back sleeping, but keep at it. Once you are conscious of your own posture, you will work to keep it straight and your back and spine health will improve considerably.
Use the four key parts to back and spine health that I have outlined above to help you get rid of your own back problems and pain. Remember, keep active, stay flexible, stretch every day and always maintain good posture. Your back will thank you for it.
