Dr. Stefano Sinicropi, M.D.

Our spines are incredibly tough and durable, but they aren’t immune from acute or repetitive stress. If we knowingly or unknowingly put our spines in harrowing positions, we may find that pain and other symptoms soon develop. But what are some of the worst positions and activities for our spine? In today’s blog, we take a look at the five worst things you’re doing to your spine.

Stop Doing These Five Bad Back Habits 

You may be aware that some of these activities may be hard on your spine, but many people are unaware that all of the common actions on this list can really serve to hurt their spine in the short- and long-term. Here are five things you need to stop doing if you want to protect your spine.

1. Scrolling With Your Phone In Your Lap – We all do it from time to time. We grab our phone, click on a social media app and scroll through our feed to catch up on news and events. However, if you do this for hours each day, and you have your phone in your lap while you scroll, you’re putting an incredible amount of strain on your upper spine. Craning forward to view your phone can weaken supportive structures in your neck and speed up disc degeneration in the area. If you’re going to use your phone, strive to have it more out in front of you so that you don’t need to lean as far forward to view the screen.
2. Ignoring Your Mattress – We spend about a third of our lives sleeping, so it stands to reason that you should be resting on a mattress and really provides great support to your spine. If you can’t remember the last time you changed your mattress, or you can tell it’s not providing unilateral support for your whole body, consider swapping it for a better mattress. Sleep should be a peaceful time for your spine, but if you’re resting on an unsupportive mattress, your back will be handling stress and strain all night.
3. Activity Without Warmup – As we get older, it takes a little longer for all the muscles, ligaments and tendons that will handle stress during activity to transition to a state where they can comfortably handle this strain. Jumping right into activity – even if it’s something as simple as yardwork or a friendly Pickleball game – can leave you susceptible to back and body injuries. Give yourself 5-10 minutes to do some light stretches and movements so your soft tissues that support your spine are ready for the stress to come.
4. Overloading Your Bags – Do you cram your backpack full so that you’re never without your supplies for class? Do you love an oversized handbag filled to the brim with everything you may need when you’re out and about? Be careful about overloading bags that you’ll wear over one or both shoulders. Backpacks and purses that are excessively heavy will weaken muscles that support your spine, and over a longer period it can even lead to alignment problems. Lighten your load, and a heavy burden will be lifted from your spine.
5. Not Exercising – Finally, the last point we want to emphasize isn’t something you’re doing to your back, it’s something you’re not doing for your back. If you’re living a sedentary lifestyle and failing to exercise regularly, not only are you likely to gain weight, which will force your spine to handle more stress with every step you take, but it will also lead to a weakening and destabilization of key structures that support your spine. Conversely, regular exercise will strengthen your spine and ensure it is better able to handle the stress you put on it day in and day out. Get off the couch and protect your spine with the help of regular exercise.

For more information about the best and worst things you can be doing for your spine, reach out to Dr. Sinicropi’s office today at (651) 430-3800.

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