Spinal cord injuries are very serious and almost always negatively impact an individual’s life and mobility. Avoiding these types of injuries is necessary for maintaining one’s equilibrium and living life to its fullest. Fortunately, there are steps that one can take to try to mitigate their chance of facing spinal cord injury. Specifically, there are exercises proven to be helpful in preventing a person’s risk of developing spinal cord injury.
If you are concerned about your risk for spinal cord injury and are interested in surgical or non-surgical spinal treatments, take a look at this guide to the kinds of exercises that will help you prevent it.
What is Spinal Cord Injury?
Spinal cord injury refers to any injury to the spine. If the injury is extreme enough, it can permanently debilitate a patient’s movement. Since the spinal cord acts as the central hub of many of the body’s functions, even slight injuries to this system can have very devastating results on one’s quality of life. Spinal cord injuries have the additional disadvantage of having a long recovery time.
Exercises for Preventing Spinal Cord Injury
Several different kinds of exercises can be employed to reduce the chance that one might suffer from a spinal cord injury during their lifetime. Many of these exercises are designed to help one maintain a flexible, healthy spine. Maintaining a certain level of spine health is one of the most effective ways to prevent spinal cord injury.
1. Knee-to-Chest Stretch
During this stretch, an individual lies flat on their back and, using both hands, draws the knees towards their chest. Ideally, one should pull each knee to their chest 2-3 times, holding the knees to the chest for about five seconds. Depending on one’s overall health and flexibility, it may be beneficial to repeat this stretch several times a day.
2. Lower Back Flexibility Exercise
This stretch is similar to knee-to-chest in that the patient lies on their back while doing it. The lower back flexibility stretch differs in that the only movement involved is the patient subtly elevating their spine off the floor. To make the stretch effective, as the person lifts their spine, they must keep the rest of their body flat on the floor.
3. The Cat/Cow Stretch
The cat/cow stretches are common yoga exercises. To do these stretches, an individual rests their hands and knees on the floor with their face looking forward and their back in a flat tabletop position. From this position, they raise their spine in a wide arc and point their chin toward their chest—cat pose—then shift their spine down in a “u” shape and point their chin up to the sky. Beyond the specific spinal benefits of the cat/cow stretch, they also increase general flexibility.
4. Bridge Stretch
The bridge stretch is another that is often employed in modern yoga classes. To begin the stretch, the person lies with their back flat, their knees bent, and the soles of their feet touching the floor. Then, they elevate the lower half of their body by pushing up from the floor with their feet while keeping the upper half of their body flat on the floor. The final pose forms a sort of “bridge” with their body and has the benefit of strengthening the back and core, reducing the risk of spinal cord injury.
5. Lower Back Rotational Stretch
The lower back rotational stretch is another type of stretch that involves lying with one’s back flat against the floor. During this stretch, one bends their leg at the knee and draws it to the opposite side of their body to increase the flexibility of their spine. While they twist their leg, they should keep their back flat on the ground and only lift their hips. This stretch has the benefit of increasing the rotational flexibility of one’s spine. While performing this exercise, one should draw each leg across their body several times and hold the position for at least 30 seconds.
6. Shoulder Blade Squeeze
To perform this stretch, an individual begins in a standing position. From this point, they raise their arms in a “t” pose and stretch them behind their back to clasp their hands together. This results in the squeezing of their shoulder blades together from the back. Perform this stretch three to five times a day for about 15 minutes. Repeating this stretch will strengthen the muscles of the back and make it less likely that one incurs injury should they exert themselves with this part of the body.
7. Seated Lower Back Rotational Stretch
This type of stretch is similar to the lower back rotational stretch. To do this stretch, instead of lying on the floor, the patient sits in a chair and crosses their legs over one another to increase flexibility in the spine. This variation of the stretch is effective for helping one to exercise certain muscles that the other variation of the stretch cannot reach. This is also helpful for those who have difficulty rising from a horizontal position on the floor. Performing this stretch two to three times daily will yield the best results.
LA’s Top Spine Doctor
Dr. Yashar is a board-certified neurosurgeon in LA who has the tools and expertise to give you the best advice and treatment for preventing spinal cord injuries. If you suffer from spinal pain, contact Dr. Yashar today to take the first step in recovering your spinal health.
