Maintaining Spinal Integrity - Advice For Young and Old

As the body grows, the imperatives of spinal health change shape and take different forms. What may work for a young child is probably not suited for an elderly individual, and likewise, what might be a recommendable spinal regime for a senior citizen would be inadequate for the growth of a 20 something's spinal column. Because the body changes over time, the demands of the spinal column change over time as well, and with these changing demands, the individual should adapt their support system to their age and their body's concerns at the given moment.

One can speak of three general time periods in which to group the exercises and concerns of spinal integrity: youth, adulthood, and seniority. Check with the leading spine surgeon in Chennai for more information about spinal integrity. There may be a few guidelines common to each period, and throughout, the goal of back integrity will be served to ensure optimal well-being and as high a standard of living as possible.

For the youth, spinal integrity takes the form of information, protection and growth. From birth all the way up until the mid-teenage years (around age 17 or 18) a main component of backbone integrity is the testing and investigation of potential inherited disorders. At birth, doctors should be able to test for potentially spine-altering disorders that may surface later in life.

While there is a battery of tests that are given to all newborn babies, there are a number of voluntary tests that must be requested by the parent. During the teenage years, the symptoms of scoliosis are presented and should be watched for and treated if they do in fact surface. In addition to the gathering of information, youths should be given special attention if they are participating in contact sports such as football or boxing, where damage to the spinal column, if not likely, is an eminent possibility.

The second period of vertebrae health may be called adulthood, where adulthood is understood as the ages between 20 and 55. As an adult, you should have already undergone the general investigative tests common to youths, but your backbone integrity is still in jeopardy. As you age, your spine has likely incurred a bit of 'wear and tear,' and as such you should now focus on increasing your flexibility and staying active. 

It is all too common that adults allow themselves to become sedentary and ignore the necessities of physical activity to spinal health. Participate in an hour of physical activity at least three times a week, and be sure to compliment your exercise with at least 10 minutes of stretching after each session.

Finally, vertebrae health takes us into the years of seniority. For seniors, the amount of physical activity should be reduced to pre-adulthood levels. While strenuous exercise should be kept to a minimum, a low-impact stretching regime should be employed by the senior in order to keep themselves fit and limber.

By approaching your spinal health doctor as a product of your life at a particular stage, and approaching the stages of life as a process that develops over time, you can ensure that you treat your spine with the respect and care that it deserves.