Walking vs. sitting

When your back is hurting, the last thing you probably feel like doing is exercising. It may seem like the logical thing to do is sit in a chair or stay in bed to wait out the pain, but I suggest you rethink your road to recovery. As I mentioned last week, it's not advisable to "exercise through the pain" when pain is severe and may be signaling a serious problem. On the other hand, it is my advice to get up and get moving to help not only your back but your entire mind and body. Listen to your body and chiropractor before beginning any new exercise program. Getting up and out of bed or your favorite, comfy chair may just be the answer you've been looking for.

We know spring will be here soon (according to the groundhog anyway) and that's when we all feel like becoming more active. Many people who sit all day or have a sedentary job often suffer from joint degeneration as well as aches and pains due to this lack of movement. I propose that everybody think spring now and jump on board with the campaign to take 10,000 steps a day. An average step is 2.5 feet and it takes about 2,000 steps to equal 1 mile. Five miles would equal 10,000 steps and those steps would burn 2,000-3,000 calories each week.

So, you may be wondering how walking or more movement in general can help your back pain. There are several reasons that walking is recommended to either prevent back pain or help if the discomfort is already present. First, it's a great way to get blood flowing to the injured area. As the blood flows into the sore muscles, it helps remove toxins and inflammation that may be causing your pain. Second, walking helps release feel-good chemicals in the brain, such as endorphins and serotonin. These chemicals are your body's own free alternative to medication. Third, walking reduces stress. Stress often makes back pain worse by increasing muscle tension and by releasing stress hormones into the blood stream. It's a logical recommendation for a depression sufferer to get out and move more. Depression can come from having to endure pain for a long time thus missing out on life and being limited to what you can do.

It's important to remind you that the body is meant to heal itself but if the spine is misaligned then the body is not able to do the healing. The messages that the nerves carry to your cells, tissues and organs are not able to do their job if these nerves are obstructed by a bone in your spine that is not aligned properly. So... keep active, move, have your spine checked and with the aid of a pedometer, you can start happily watching your number of daily steps increase every day thus taking important steps toward better health.

To learn how we at Spoelstra Family Chiropractic can help you to have a happier, healthier spring, call us at (208)667-7434 or check us out on the web at www.CDAHealth.com.