Spinal Hygiene
October 22, 2012
When we think of hygiene our first thought is toward outward appearance, this is our personal hygiene. Hygiene refers to practices to preserve ones health. When we combine this with the spine we have health promoting practices for this region. One of the best promotion of spinal health is movement. Some of the effects of lack of movement can be severe on a spine and the surrounding soft tissue. If we think of movement in respect bone, a well known law about bone movement and growth comes to mind. Wolfe's law states that a bone under stress responds by growing larger, shrinking, or changing shape. Think about braces for teeth and the one time per month tightening which changes the bone structure of the mouth over time. If a bone in the spine is under more stress such as a subluxations or a misalignment, the vertebrae will too change shape adapt to this stress. If a joint is immobilized some of the changes that occur to the spine may include
- Shrinks joint capsules
- Decreased thickness of collagen fibers
- Decreased Bone Density
- Decreased Muscle mass
- Loss of strength
Things that get a spine moving are chiropractic adjustments, exercises, stretches, and proper posture.
