So often when a patient comes in with a complaint of neck or back pain, they state that they can’t recall anything happening that caused the problem. That’s because they are thinking about their recent past history. Unfortunately, what tends to be the case with the majority of patients, is that their spine health is hurting because of the cumulative effects of daily stressors in their life (physical and mental), old injuries, chronic poor posture habits, lack of exercise and conditioning, etc.

PAIN OFTEN RESULTS FROM CUMULATIVE STRESSES
Improving one’s posture to minimize unnecessary stress to the spine, exercising on a consistent basis (not just trying a few stretches whenever something is hurting again), and getting adequate sleep and proper nutrition are all vitally important in achieving and maintaining good spinal health. The people who ignore these things end up coming in for treatment more often to deal with the latest flare-up, whose cause they don’t recognize, because they are thinking something traumatic has to be involved to cause their back pain or neck pain.

PREVENT SPINE PAIN WITH A FOCUS ON SPINE HEALTH
Hopefully everyone is in the habit of brushing and flossing their teeth, something that we’ve been advised to do since childhood. Most of us hopefully go to a dentist twice a year for checkups/cleanings. Unfortunately, the majority of us don’t afford our spine health anywhere near that amount of ongoing attention and care, which is probably why 80% of us, at some point(s) in our lives, experience fairly significant back and/or neck pain. If you will be more proactive in affording your spine health at least the same amount of attention you give your oral health, your future stands a much better chance of being less painful.