Vim & Vigor - Summer 2019 - GMC - 48

HEALTH BY THE NUMBERS BY ALLISON THOMAS

THE SPINE

30 MINUTES A DAY

This much low-impact
exercise-like swimming,
riding a stationary bike or
brisk walking-can help
keep your spine strong.

24

288K

Your spine is made up
of two dozen vertebrae,
or bones.

This many people in the
U.S. are living with a
spinal cord injury.

80%

Most adults will
experience low
back pain in
their lives.

20 TO 50 YEARS OLD

Men in this age range are at
greater risk of a herniated disk.

264 MILLION

Back pain accounts for at least this many lost workdays each
year-that's more than two days for every full-time worker
in the United States.

Sources: American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons, National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke, National Spinal Cord Injury Statistical Center, United States Bone and Joint Initiative

The Keys to a Happy Back

48

SU M M ER 2019

1. Practice the basics. Lifestyle habits like
exercising, maintaining a healthy weight and
using proper lifting techniques are critical. So
is quitting smoking. "Surprisingly, this habit
has been shown to increase the rate of disk
degeneration," notes Dr. Ayer.
2. Sit smart. "Sitting causes the most
pressure on disks," says Dr. Ayer. When you
do sit, make sure to do it correctly: keeping your back slightly arched, your head and
shoulders upright and an elevated work surface to prevent leaning.
3. Move around. "Even with good posture, you need to change positions regularly," explains Dr. Ayer. "Every 20 minutes,
you need to stretch and move around. Just
doing something different helps to relieve
the pressure from your back."

Getting Back
Your Health
Coping with chronic back
pain isn't uncommon.
That's why GMC's Back
Pain Center, one of the
first of its kind, was
created: To help you find
the relief you need to
get back to living life to
its fullest. Learn more at
gwinnettmedicalcenter.
org/backpain.

ILLUSTRATIONS BY GETTY IMAGES

You brush your teeth, moisturize your skin and
trim your nails. But what have you done for
your back lately? It (literally) does most of the
heavy lifting each day, supporting your body
weight and enabling you to move from place to
place. And yet spine health isn't usually at the
top of one's wellness priority list, as evidenced
by the prevalence of low back pain in the U.S.
"On average, 25 percent of adults will have
back pain at least one day in a three-month
period," says Robert Ayer, MD, a neurosurgeon at GMC's Back Pain Center. "And once
someone has back pain, 60 to 75 percent of
those individuals will have a recurrence within
12 months, which is just one reason why it's
so important to take care of your back."
So, what can we do to protect our spines
and prevent injury?

WEBSITE



http://gwinnettmedicalcenter.org/backpain http://gwinnettmedicalcenter.org/backpain

Vim & Vigor - Summer 2019 - GMC

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