Pilbara Health

Preventative back care has come a long way since the days of bending at the knees and keeping your back straight, says Joel Mowday, Health Advisor at West Angelas.

The new school of thought focuses on the importance of core coordination or stability. This is about reducing the risk of injury by increasing support across your entire body, combining the use of the muscles of the shoulder girdle, abdomen, spine and pelvis.

"If your core coordination is weak, your lumbar curvature may not be in its primary 'strong' position - that 'S-like' shape," he said.

"If this is the case you don’t need to be lifting heavy objects to injure yourself. An awkward movement, like a sudden twist or bend when you aren’t ready is enough to cause severe damage."

4 simple ways to keep your core conditioning in good order are:

• Stretch and exercise – this keeps your muscles flexible and well maintained.
• Avoid smoking - smoking reduces blood flow to the lower back.
• Drink plenty of water – when the body is dehydrated the disks in the spine become dehydrated and weak.
• Get a regular therapeutic massage – this increases the flow of oxygen and nutrients to the muscles and removes the build up of toxins.