Ideas for a healthy spine

There’s nothing sexier than the beautiful curves of a properly aligned spine. And in swimsuit season, the curves of your back are more noticeable than ever.

Great posture not only makes you look good, it’s also good for you. Your head weighs 8 to 10 pounds and should be resting squarely over your shoulders.  Your shoulders should be pulled back, keeping your spine straight and not hunched over.  

Whether or not your hips are level and properly aligned can affect your low back, knees, ankles and more.  

Poor posture tractions your spinal cord and closes down lymphatic drainage; puts additional strain on muscles and weight-bearing discs and can cause premature spinal arthritis.  

As chiropractors, of course we believe that nothing beats having a professional align your spine.

But there are also at-home exercises you can do to support proper posture. For a more extensive workout, find a personal trainer or sign up for a class that focuses on core strength — the muscles of your abdomen, low back, hamstrings and quads (the large muscles of the thigh).  

These muscles support you as you sit and stand and are essential to healthy posture.

To start with, though, try these two simple exercises on your own.

Neck traction

Roll a medium-sized towel and place it under the arch of your neck while lying on your back. You may only be able to lie there for 5 minutes at first but add a minute each day. This will allow the weight of your head to traction the muscles in your neck into the proper position.

Wall Angels

These are like an indoor version of the snow angels that children do in winter. But instead of lying on your back in the snow, stand with your upper, middle and lower back against the wall and gently move your arms from down at your sides to up over your head. Keep your arms in contact with the wall, if you can.

Try two sets of 10 daily to begin with, and increase the number of sets when you can. This will strengthen your rhomboids (the muscle between your shoulder blades) and will roll those shoulders back and eliminate any humping in your mid back.

So, get to work on those sexy curves.Your health depends on it.

The Chiropractic Center of Canaan was established 22 years ago and was recently acquired by Monica S. Nowak, DC, and Peter Markowicz, DC.