Your neck has a tough job. It has to hold up the weight of your head every day... for a lifetime. Holding up 11 pounds may not seem like a lot, but those 7 bones and 25 or so muscles in your neck need to work together correctly for you to move your head around free of pain. If you've ever had a stiff neck and couldn't turn your head to either side for a day or two, you know how impactful neck pain can be.

Working on computers and staring down at our smartphones for hours each day has left over 20% of us experiencing neck pain over the past few months. A stiff neck is usually the result of postural issues that have tired the neck muscles over time. Weakened, or unbalanced, muscle strength can place additional stress on your spinal joints and lead to changes in how you move, extra pressure on your discs, and pain.

Many people think that surgery can "fix" an area of their spine that is injured. While in rare cases that's true, the permanent changes that surgery makes to your anatomy can cause a host of new problems in addition to the trauma and risks that inherently go along with surgery.

Low back pain is something that over 80% of us will deal with at some point in our lives… but what exactly causes low back pain? Usually, it's not just one thing that causes low back pain, but there are some trends and information that we've uncovered about the primary causes, and most importantly, what you can do to avoid it.

If you've ever fallen to your knees in pain because of sciatica, you know how scary it can be. Pain that locks up your low back and travels down your leg after sneezing, coughing, or bending over is one of the least welcomed surprises you can experience in your life.

Do you know the best way to find relief?

According to The Lancet, low back pain is the number one source of disability in the world. If you've dealt with low back pain in the past, you understand just how much it can alter your daily life. Even simply standing up straight can feel like an incredibly impossible task, and for that reason, many top healthcare organizations have begun to publish recommendations for the best ways to take care of low back pain.

 

Their findings may surprise you.

Have you ever been able to tell what someone's mood is just by how they walked into a room? We all have! It's a great example of how our posture and attitude are connected. Within seconds you can look at someone and tell whether they are confident, depressed, withdrawn, or happy. Emotions, posture, and pain sensitivity are all influenced by each other to some degree.

Years ago, researchers believed that the health benefits of exercise were limited to the body. However, recent research has indicated that regular physical activity and movement can benefit both the body and brain. We’re seeing that movement supplies the brain cells with oxygen, promotes the production of new cells, and aides in creating synapses (connections in the brain). 

Does your child's backpack feel like a 50-pound bag of rocks? You may have noticed that your child struggles to get it on in the morning or may even need help to pull the straps together enough to click the buckle. What’s more, researchers and healthcare organizations are growing more concerned about the effects of this extra weight on your child's developing spine.

As students worldwide return to school, it appears as though many will be e-learning for hours each day on their digital devices. While our devices can be fantastic tools for entertainment and education, the postural effects are something all parents should be aware of.