- Sleep on your stomach- Sleeping on your stomach can cause your lumbar region of your spine, or your lower back, to forcefully extend beyond its normal limits. In addition, you need to turn your head to the side when you sleep on your stomach which twists your neck.
- Look down when using your phone- People who spend significant amounts of time on their cell phones end up with neck and/or upper back pain. Hold your phone up to eye level whenever possible. There are some cool devices out there to help with this as well.
- Sleep on the couch- Mattresses have more support than couches. Your spine especially your neck curves to the shape of the couch in unnatural ways.
- Adjust yourself- While adjusting is something nearly everyone can do, you may be over adjusting or not adjusting the vertebrae in the correct motion. It’s true that a person might feel some relief after cracking their own back or neck, but the underlying issue remains unchanged and dysfunctional.
- Sleep with 3 pillows under your neck- This causes your neck to lose its curve. When your curve is not correct, studies have shown this can take years off your life because it is putting pressure on your spinal cord where all your nerves start and go to every part of your body. We help restore patients’ curves. You should only sleep with one pillow that keeps your ear in line with your shoulder when you are on your side and firm enough so that your head is actually tilted back a bit when you are on your back.
- Sit for 8 hours a day without getting up every 20-30 min- Sitting for a long time isn’t good for the body because it effects blood flow as well as causing stiffness in your muscles and joints. Movement is life.
- Cross your legs when sitting (Females especially)- This leads you to shift to one side causing muscle imbalances in the low back and hips; and it can cause a pinched nerve.
- Use heat when you are supposed to ice and vice versa- When you first “hurt”, ice is a better choice than heat — especially for about the first three days. Even if this is an injury that first happened years ago remember this can be a flare up which means there is swelling. Ice will numb the pain and constrict blood vessels to reduce the swelling. Then after a few days switch to heat.
- Don’t always carry things only on one side and don’t over carry- This causes imbalances from your neck down to your hips. Switch arms frequently. When you catch yourself using your favorite arm to carry something, make yourself switch sides. Also try to carry one bag of groceries in each arm to even yourself out.
- Get adjusted only when you are in pain- The problem is that too many people simply stop getting adjusted once their pain subsides. They return to their same lives and exercise routine. Feeling better is great but it doesn’t mean that you have fully healed or are functioning at 100%. Unless you are living on a tropical island not working and eating organic foods, you are going to be subjected to stresses that will affect your spine.
