A healthy spine can withstand more pressure and stress, helping to avoid or minimize injury, and relieve pain from a variety of back conditions. While you cannot target the spine itself, you can strengthen the group of muscles that surround and stabilize it, called the erector spinae, with a few simple exercises per day. Good Posture Although not technically a fitness exercise, maintaining proper posture is one of the easiest and most important ways to strengthen the muscles around the spine. When you practice good posture, you support the natural curves in your back, which keeps the spine stable and strong. Poor posture, on the other hand, not only impairs spine health, but also is associated with health conditions such as weight gain, heartburn, migraines, depression and respiratory conditions. To achieve proper posture, keep each part of the body in alignment with the neighboring parts, so that all body parts are balanced and supported. Sit or stand with the upper back and neck comfortably straight, the head level and in line with your body. Neck Stretches Strengthening the neck makes posture easier to hold and takes pressure of the spine. To begin, try a forward flexion stretch to help ease

Maintaining an active social life may affect more than just our mood. Recent research shows that being social could affect how our bodies handle pain as well. According to a new study, people with a larger circle of friends and a more active social life may be better able to tolerate pain. The study, led by Dr. Robin Dunbar at the University of Oxford, looked into the connection between pain thresholds and social networks. The study hypothesized that endorphin activity in the brain is correlated with pain tolerance. Researchers theorized that the brain’s endorphin system has evolved to reward and reinforce socializing, because of the need for strong social bonds for survival. To test this theory, researchers examined the social activity and pain thresholds of 101 adults, ages 18 through 34. Each participant was asked to complete a questionnaire that quizzed them on how many friends they contacted once a week, and how many they got in touch with once a month. Afterwards, the participants underwent a brief, uncomfortable physical test to measure their pain tolerance. Participants were told to squat with their back against a wall with their knees positioned at a right angle to their body, and stay

Approximately 65% of people with chronic back pain suffer from some type of sleep disorder, and inadequate sleep can exacerbate back pain, creating a vicious cycle of chronic pain and insomnia. However, there are a few simple modifications that you can make to your sleeping regimen to improve both your quality of sleep and pain levels. Insomnia & Non-Restorative Sleep Chronic back pain and sleeping problems can affect each other in various ways. Trouble falling asleep, or insomnia, is the primary issue for those who suffer from back pain, as it can be difficult to find a pain-free position. Additionally, when the sleeping environment is quieted and distractions fade away, the brain tends to focus on and amplify pain perception. Once back pain patients manage to fall asleep, they may also suffer from non-restorative sleep (NRS), issues sleeping through the night and/or waking up feeling tired even after sufficient or prolonged periods of rest. NRS is often a result of micro-arousals, a change in the sleep state to a lighter stage of sleep trigged by stress or pain, causing diminished energy, depressed mood, fatigue and pain during the day. Sleeping Position One of the simplest and most effective ways to

If you would like to reinvigorate your health and fitness regimens this summer, your office may be able to help. Many businesses have implemented workplace wellness programs, services and activities intended to incentivize healthy behaviors in and out of the workplace, and boost productivity. Employer-sponsored health plans come in a variety of forms to help workers stick to their health goals. The majority of comprehensive wellness programs focus on preventive health and lifestyle modification, by encouraging employees to increase physical activity, improve eating habits, and reduce stress. Common program features include health education and coaching, weight management programs, medical screenings and on-site fitness programs. According to the U.S. Department of Labor, office wellness programs have become increasingly popular in recent years, growing into an $8 billion industry in 2015, because of the rise of chronic pain and disease in the workplace. Linked to the inactive, sedentary nature of the typical U.S. office, conditions such as depression, hypertension, obesity and back pain are now highly prevalent health issues among employees. Workplace wellness programs seek to alleviate chronic back pain, in particular, as it is the most common cause of job-related disability. This office epidemic is a result of the health detriments of sitting in a

If you suffer from chronic back pain but cannot determine the reason, the underlying cause could be surprising: a dental issue. This unexpected connection is an example of referred pain, or pain in an area of the body other than where it originates. Studies have shown that referred pain is due to the way the body’s nerve fibers converge on and send signals up and down the spinal column. These signals make it so that dysfunction or pain towards the top of the spinal column, such as a toothache, can influence the structures below, such as the upper and low back, and vice versa. Referred pain can also result from the ways in which our muscles interact with and support each other. A common example is the link between the jaw disorder, TMJ or temporomandibular joint disorder, and chronic back pain. TMJ occurs when the hinge that connects the jawbone to the skull dysfunctions, causing pain in the jaw joint and in the muscles that control jaw movement. Patients with TMJ often complain of backaches, because when the jaw is out of alignment, it causes the neighboring muscles to exert extra effort. The muscles in the neck, shoulders and back

Melanoma Awareness Month in May serves as an important reminder as we prepare for summer of the necessity of practicing safe skin habits. Follow these simple methods to protect your skin from the harmful effects of the sun, not only through the spring and summer months, but year-round. Sunscreen Wearing sunscreen is essential to preventing the sun’s ultraviolent radiation from reaching the skin 365 days of the year. There are two types of UV radiation, UVA and UVB, that can damage skin and increase the risk of skin cancer, no matter the season or weather. UVB rays are considered the chief cause of skin reddening, sunburn, and the development of skin cancer. UVA rays cause photo aging, or premature aging of the skin, and can exacerbate the carcinogenic effects of UVB radiation as well. A sunscreen’s level of protection against UVB radiation is measured through its Sun Protection Factor (SPF), the estimated amount of time that you can stay in the sun without skin reddening. For example, SPF 30 allows you to stay safely in the sun 30 times longer than without protection. The American Academy of Dermatology recommends wearing sunscreen with an SPF 30 every day, and SPF 50

Staying hydrated helps combat fatigue and helps improve muscle and joint performance by cleansing the body of toxins. A new study published this year found that hydrating may have yet another advantage: reducing pain perception. The study, led by Dr. Toby Mündel and his team at Massey University in New Zealand, sought to determine the correlation between dehydration and pain, as well as further demonstrate the positive effects of staying hydrated. The study asked participants to take part in two stages. For the first stage, the participants consumed their usual amount of fluids while going about their daily activities. For the second, participants were not allowed to drink any fluids for 24 hours. Following each stage, the researchers performed a test that challenged their bodies’ responses to pain. Known as a cold pressor test, the participants’ feet were plunged into freezing water (between 32-37°F) for four minutes, while set up to heart rate and blood pressure monitors. According to Dr. Mündel, the cold pressor test is a “commonly used clinical test to measure how ‘normally’ a person’s cardiovascular system is working.” Dr. Mündel’s study found that the more dehydrated the participant, the more intense his/her sensitivity to pain. The results

The constant impact from running puts stress on the knees and back, which over time can lead to injury and chronic pain. However, most running injuries stem from improper training that is easily avoided with a few preventative measures. Follow these simple techniques to help reduce the strain on your body and enjoy safe and pain-free runs. Warm Up One of the most important measures for avoiding pain and injury is to practice a thorough warm up prior to running. Build up gradually, by starting with a three to five minute walk, followed by a five-minute run-walk. Easing into speed increases the temperature of and blood flow to the muscles most needed for running. Dynamic stretching, stretching that utilizes momentum rather than standing still, also helps to prepare the muscles, and is a smart addition to your warm up. This active form of stretching enhances range of motion, loosens up muscles, and increases heart rate, body temperature and blood flow to help you run more safely and efficiently. Some examples of dynamic stretches are arm swings, lunges with a twist, high kicks, etc. Posture Running with proper form is necessary for protecting against injury and enhancing your performance. Improper posture

The future of personalized healthcare is going mobile. By 2020, patients experiencing back pain will be able to take responsibility of managing their pain into their own hands. An app currently being developed by medical, science, and technology researchers called selfBACK, will be able to facilitate and improve self-management of non-specific low back pain. The international project, funded by the European Union, comes as a response to a study on global disease that found that low back pain is the fourth most common diagnosis in primary care, and the most significant contributor to disability in Europe. European guidelines advise that the best approach for self-management of low back pain is to avoid a sedentary lifestyle, and to stay active through stretching and exercise. The app will act as a support system to help reinforce these guidelines to keep patients upright, moving and ultimately, as pain-free as possible. The first of its kind, selfBACK will be customized to each user, depending on their pain symptoms and characteristics. App users will receive a specialized physical activity-detecting wristband that will connect with the app using artificial intelligence and open source code to send viral data and recordings of pain levels, functioning abilities, physical