Basic Back Care

TAKE GOOD CARE OF YOUR BACK!
Kyle Grimshaw-Jones ND, RT www.conscioushealing.com.au

DRINK ENOUGH WATER (see book by Batmanghelidj)
About 2 Litres per day (more specifically, around 1 Litre for every 25 kg of body weight)
plus 2 extra glasses for every glass of tea/coffee/alcohol.

If you dry out, so do your connective tissues and intervertebral discs, predisposing to stiffness and structural problems.

If you decide to increase your intake, do so slowly and ensure your kidneys keep up with their urine production. Give the body time to adapt. Too much has no advantage €“ just have enough, daily.

USE ENOUGH REAL SEA SALT - Up to about 1/2 teaspoon for every 10 glasses of water
This is to replace the amount of salt you lose in urine from drinking the above amount of water. If you are deficient in salt, you may start to get cramps in your legs at night. Modern salt is usually devoid of trace elements (except added iodine sometimes), and contains aluminium as an anti-caking agent. You can have too much salt, and you can have too little.

I recommend traditional Celtic Sea Salt. It is grey from its trace mineral content, and wet because the magnesium in it is hydrophilic (attracts water out of the air). You may prefer to buy it finely ground. (available at Supernatural Health Store - Cannonvale)

STAND ON TWO FEET WITH YOUR KNEES A LITTLE BENT - Don€™t stand on one leg
ENSURE HEEL HEIGHT OPTIMISES YOUR SPINAL ALIGNMENT AND RELAXES YOUR BREATHING €“ USUALLY THIS MEANS LOW HEELS, OR NO HEELS!

High heels can tilt the pelvis, predisposing to tension, joint strain and disc problems. Heels no higher than 1/5 of the distance from your heel to your first big toe joint (the base, not the tip!) are OK
SIT WITH YOUR THIGHS 10 TO 15 DEGREES BELOW HORIZONTAL

If your knees aren€™t low enough (seat too low), then your spinal alignment will become poor and your breathing will have to fight against your posture. This is often a big problem for tall people.

SIT ON TWO EVEN CHEEKS - Don€™t sit with only one cheek on the edge of a seat/boat etc.

KEEP YOUR BACK POCKETS EMPTY WHILE SITTING €“ no wallets
DON€™T CROSS YOUR LEGS ABOVE THE ANKLES €“ this twists your hip bones and spine
CORRECT YOUR SLEEPING POSTURE SO YOU BREATHE EASILY AND RELAX

Ensure mattress is firm enough and use folded towels instead of a pillow. Ensure towel height is adequate to maintain a totally relaxed consistent relationship between your shoulders, back and neck.
GRADUALLY AND SAFELY RELEARN HOW TO SQUAT WITH YOUR HEELS ON THE GROUND.(Polarity Health Squat)
This helps to relengthen the hallucis tendon inside your heel and free up deep inflexibilities in your pelvis and hip joints.

IF YOU CAN€™T SIT ON THE GROUND WITH CROSSED LEGS, YOU PROBABLY NEED TREATMENT AND/OR EXERCISES UNTIL YOU CAN.

BE FULL OF CARE WHEN YOU LIFT
Point your navel at what you€™re lifting and keep it that way.

Keep your back straight.

You should be able to stop at any point during a lift.

Don€™t swing, throw, or twist your spine with a load.

Never twist when lifting, turn ONLY with your legs and feet.

Ensure all lifting force comes from your legs.

CROSS YOUR SHOULDER STRAP ONTO THE OPPOSITE SIDE AS THE BAG
So if the bag is hanging on your left side, place the strap over your right shoulder. Otherwise you will probably try to support the weight by lifting your shoulder.

ALTERNATE/BALANCE REPETITIVE/FREQUENT ACTIVITIES THAT ARE NOT BALANCED
If you use a mouse on the computer, switch to the opposite side and hand sometimes.
Brush your teeth left handed as well as right, or v.v.
If you have a small backpack on your back, spin it around and carry it on your front sometime.(Ensure it is not too heavy anytime.)
Compensate for habitual forward-bent working postures with safe backward bends.
If carrying a one-handed load, switch and use the opposite arm frequently.

CORRECT TRUE AND FALSE LEG LENGTH DIFFERENCES(LLD)
Various types of therapies can be used to address LLD that is functional in origin. True anatomic differences in leg lengths can be assessed and gradually corrected with a full length/heel lift to a height that optimises function. Be very careful who you trust with this! It is often done poorly!

IF YOUR FEET ARE NOT BALANCED IN STRUCTURE OR FUNCTION THIS CAN AFFECT YOUR WHOLE BODY.
IF YOU€™VE HAD A BIG CHANGE IN OVERALL FUNCTION AND ALIGNMENT OF PELVIS/FEET/BODY, YOU MAY NEED TO REPAIR/REPLACE THE SOLES OF YOUR SHOES.
Old wear patterns act like an incorrect orthotic.
IF YOU HAVE A NEEDED ORTHOTIC OR LIFT, YOU NEED TO USE IT ALL THE TIME.
LEARN HOW TO SAFELY TAKE ALL OF YOUR JOINTS THROUGH THEIR FULL RANGES OF MOTION REGULARLY €“ If you don€™t use it, you lose it!
If you can€™t, you need treatment and/or exercises until you can.
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BE CAREFUL WITH ANY NEW EXERCISES AND CHECK WITH SOMEONE QUALIFIED IF AT ALL IN DOUBT.
For example, certain types of situps or backward bends can damage your back, particularly if you€™re chronically dehydrated or have disc problems already.