How to Strengthen Your Spine: A Guide for Brandon, FL Residents

A strong, healthy spine is key to overall well-being and good health. Without it, you’re more likely to deal with ongoing neck and back pain and have a greater risk for injuries and conditions that affect mobility, breathing, and more. Brandon Chiropractic Associates provides comprehensive chiropractic care for back pain in Brandon, FL, and weak spines are a common factor for many patients. 

Knowing how to strengthen your spine and taking care to protect it can help prevent ongoing back pain and related discomforts. Here are some of the best ways to do that. 

Maintain Good Posture 

Poor posture — slouching, leaning forward or to the side while sitting in a chair, twisting your body — puts stress on the spine that can eventually weaken it and cause pain. Always sit up straight with your feet on the floor, and align your ears, shoulders, hips, and knees while standing and walking.

Perform Spine Strengthening Exercises 

When your spine is stable, it is more flexible and can support a full range of motion. Strengthening core muscles gives a weak spine more support, making it easier to go about normal activities without pain. 

Your Brandon, FL, chiropractor or physical therapist can show you how to strengthen your spine with specific exercises, but some of the best moves to try include the following stretches:

• Curl ups
• Side planks
• Bridges
• Pelvic tilts
• Bird dog stretch
• Cat-Cow stretches

Exercising regularly to strengthen the core muscles in the abdomen and your back goes a long way toward a strong and healthy spine. Take care to use proper form when working out and stretching to prevent injury and further damage to your spine. 

Support Your Body While Sleeping

If your body doesn’t have adequate support when you sleep, the extra pressure on the spine can cause pain and weakness. Invest in a firm mattress that can evenly support your body weight and pressure. If you sleep on your back, put a pillow under your knees to alleviate stress on your spine; if you lie on your side, place the pillow between your knees for extra support.

Maintain a Healthy Lifestyle 

Staying healthy overall can help keep your spine healthy. This means not smoking, which increases the risk of osteoporosis and other health concerns, especially in women, and taking daily calcium and vitamin D supplements to support bone health. A healthy diet and regular exercise also help you maintain a healthy weight, which reduces stress on the spine. Try walking one of Brandon’s beaches for a workout!

Let Brandon, FL’s Leading Chiropractor Help You With Back Pain

If you have back pain, make an appointment to see the team at Brandon Chiropractic Associates in Brandon, FL.  Whether you are dealing with back spasms, pregnancy pain, the effects of an auto accident, or subluxation of the spine (a misalignment of a vertebra), their qualified chiropractors can help you find relief and show you how to strengthen your spine to avoid future issues.