The ageing process is as unique as the people themselves!
No two people age similarly. For some people, ageing is the appearance of grey hair while for others, skin wrinkles account for ageing.
Spinal health problems and ageing
No matter at which pace you are ageing, you are more likely to experience these ageing signs and symptoms. Including several other things, our spine health is the things that get most affected by the process of ageing.
We all can agree to the fact that older age people are the ones who we see getting treated for such problems. I remember when my mother was getting treated for the herniated disc from a renowned physiotherapist in Peshawar, I remember in her physiotherapy centre most of the patients were old age men and women.
How to take care of your spine as you’re ageing?
There a certain factors that can affect our bone and spine health in general.
Okay, you can blame your genes, but not for it all!
Several other factors affect your spine health even more than your genes.
I saw a physician from Alkhidmat foundation Peshawar, talking on spine health who had this valid point that spine health is dependent more on how you nurture it rather than what nature (genes) decides for it. Although this is a well-known fact that you can’t alter your disease genetics, but here are a few things which you can try;
1- More calcium is always better!
Daily calcium requirement for men and women is 1000mg and 1200mg respectively!
The first thing you can do to improve your spine health is including a sufficient amount of calcium in your diet. Calcium is known to strengthen your bones. Your bones store calcium and just as your ageing begins, your bones tend to become spongy and lose the stored calcium in them. Thus, improving your calcium intake is one sure way to improve your bone health.
2- Working-out smart
Apart from calcium intake, your physical activity is also important for your spine health. I understand you don’t feel like working out due to your hectic work schedule or whatever the reason may be. But remember! Bone health is directly dependent upon your physical activity as it is necessarily good for your bone and muscle health.
3- Eat right
You become what you eat.
Your food is an important component of your spine health. Here are certain food that is good for your spine health, including;
- Plant-based protein is a good source of what you need for your spine, vitamins, fibre, minerals, antioxidants etc.
- Vegetables that are rich in minerals, antioxidants as well as having anti-inflammatory properties. You can reserve a proportion of your lunch or dinner for veggies.
- Apart from vegetables, several fruits are also good for your spine health as they are rich in nutrients that are important for your overall health.
- Dairy products can also help you to get better spine health as these are good sources of calcium. You can consume milk, yoghurt and other dairy products to improve your spine health.
- Several herbs and spices can improve a person’s spine health due to their anti-inflammatory and antioxidant properties. Some of these are ginger, turmeric, cinnamon etc. These herbs can be added to foods as well as can be consumed as herbal teas.
4- Good posture is the key!
Most of the time, problem arise from where we least expect them from.
Our spine is no exception to this!
Most of our spine problems result from the poor posture that we practice when we sleep, sit or even stand. You can’t sit for hours with a bent spine and then complain about back pain. So, whenever you are trying to get overcome your spinal health problems make sure you always in your posture.
5- Give your spine some rest
Other than a healthy diet and good posture, rest can also help your spine. Enough sleep can help your spine to recover and regenerate after a time. Stressless and relaxed sleep can help to improve your spine health.
6- Maintain a healthy weight
You might be burdening your spine without knowing it!
Yes, your body weight can be a burden on your spine. So, an effective way to help your spine health is by maintaining a healthy weight. If you are being overweight or obese, you should put down some weight. Reducing 5-10% of your current body can aid in controlling this important risk factor of spinal health problems.
7- Stay hydrated
Water and your bone health are closely associated with each other. Let me explain why! Our spinal discs can get shrunk and lose their height which makes them more susceptible to spinal health problems. Besides this, the loss of disc fluid can cause a herniated disc.
So, you can keep yourself hydrated for a healthier spine. Apart from this, keeping yourself hydrated can help to maintain the elasticity of your joints.
8- Lifting right
Most of the times we unconsciously lift an object in the wrong way and end up twisting our spine. Remember! There is always the right way to life the objects right to prevent spinal injuries.
9- Look out for your warning signs
Another important component of your spine health can be the monitoring of warning signs of spinal problems. Most of the times, spinal problems go undiagnosed as we consider back pain normal. But there is a fine line between normal pain and pain originating du to the spinal health problem. You can pay more attention to your body warning signs to rightly address the problems.
Bottom Line!
Your spine is the major structural support of your body. And spinal problems can make your life miserable in one way or another. Therefore, it is important to take care of spinal health before it becomes unmanageable. You can follow the above tips to enjoy better spine health and if you still notice the signs and symptoms of spinal problems, make sure you immediately go to the physician of spinal specialist or consult with an expert physiotherapist near you.