Must-have sporting tips and tricks for the best spinal health

By Staff Report
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Updated: November 25, 2019

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Having a healthy spine is vital, not only for enjoying your sporting pastimes, but also to be able to continue with them long into old age. Taking our muscles and joints for granted can lead to problems, including torn ligaments and slipped discs. Some injuries can even put us out of action for the rest of our lives; particularly if they’re prone to recurring. If you want to look after your spinal health either before or after an injury, here’s how to keep your back in check.

Gait analysis

If you’ve started to increase the distance of your long runs, then you may have been recommended gait analysis. Sports centers can check your running style in order to determine not only how you land when you run, but also what kind of running shoe you should be wearing. The staff will also be trained to look for any alignment problems with your knees and ankles. This will determine what type of sneaker you are given to help with your running. To do this you will be put on the treadmill for about half a minute in a shoe that has no specific design or shape. The footage from this run will be used to determine what type of sneaker you need to control how you hit the ground.

Furthermore, if your sneakers are worn out, then it’s important to get these replaced. Footwear that is worn out, particularly in the soles, could cause you back pain if you continue to use them.

Physio

Physio isn’t just about getting sports massages and soothing strained muscles. Physiotherapists are trained to give you a tailored approach to your needs and to assess your specific physical problems and injuries. It’s better to go to a physio as and when you need it, rather than avoiding it and causing problems for yourself later. Going to your physio can help reduce symptoms of sporting injuries such as lower back pain.

Your physiotherapist will likely set you exercises to complete at home. It’s important that you do these, along with gentle exercises to improve flexibility and strength. These exercises are part of your rehabilitation program and are tailored to building strength in those areas that you are experiencing difficulties with.

Non-invasive spinal treatments

For those who are looking to reduce inflammation and pain to improve their movement, there are non-invasive spinal treatments that provide an alternative to surgery. For example, stem cell treatment for spine repair helps to minimize pain and improve general mobility. These are well worth trying if you want to try a more direct method of pain relief that doesn’t require extensive time spent in hospital.

Looking after your spinal health is so important for maintaining your enjoyment of sporting activities. Spinal damage that occurs as a result of not seeing a physio or using worn out sneakers could be heart-breaking if you are forced to take time out of your activities to heal. However, there are treatments for reducing swelling and pain should you start to experience pain or difficulties.