World Spine Day 2020

World Spine Day takes place on October 16th each year and is celebrated on every continent! An estimated one billion people suffer with spinal pain worldwide and it is the world’s biggest single cause of disability. 

World Spine Day highlights the importance of good posture, responsible lifting and promotes physical activity.

Most back pain is primarily caused by our repeated movements: the way we move and sit. With repeated unhealthy movement we accumulate stress in specific spinal joints and develop hinge points, particularly the lower spine. To get rid of that hinge point we need to pay attention to the way we do things. It takes months for the body to heal; replace these weak stressed tissues with new tougher tissues. Having said that, you will notice the improvements in pain with proper movement much sooner!

The hip-hinge

To pick things up, avoid buckling through the lower back. Bend through knees and hinge at the hips to keep the hollow at the base of the spine. It may help to lean one hand on a surface for support.

Sitting with a neutral spine

To sit with a neutral spine, roll the pelvis forward to bring the hollow into the lower back, relax the shoulders and bring them gently back, bring the head over the shoulders with the chin gently tucked in. Keep in mind that we’re not designed to sit all day.

Sit-to-stand

We go from sitting to standing and standing to sitting many times a day. It is important to maintain that hollow and prevent buckling in the lower back. These movements should be practised consistently. We become what we repeatedly do; depending on what they are, our habits will either make or break us!