Things That You Can Do To Ensure A Safe Spine Care Experience

Back pain and neck pain are some of the spine issues that are so common nowadays that not everybody take them seriously. Because of this, some condition worsens which lead to a surgery. While the surgery may be a success doesn’t mean you no longer have nothing to worry about. You still have to ensure that your recovery goes smoothly to avoid complication. You can’t just rely on the hospital/doctor/nurse about this. You also have to do your part to guarantee a safe and successful spine care experience.  

Wash Your Hands

Just like in any other medical procedure or surgery, the first thing that you should keep in mind is washing your hands. Until you’ve fully recovered, you should maintain clean hands in order to avoid infection.

Ask Every Question You Can Think Of In Regards To Your Care

Inquire about the possible risks of your operation, the experience of your doctor in the specific procedure you’re about to go through, or why a certain procedure is recommended to you. When it comes to your health care, ask anything that you want to know. Having peace of mind is also essential to the success of your operation and your recovery.

Alert The Nurse Or Doctor Immediately If You Need Help

Don’t try to endure anything or brush off things that worries you after you’ve had the operation. Doctors and nurses will only be able to provide you good care if you cooperate well and raise concerns early on so that it doesn’t get worse or affect your recovery.

Make Sure You Get Every Detail On Your At-Home Treatment Plan

Being discharged from the hospital doesn’t mean you’re fully recovered. It only means you’re well enough to leave but you still need to continue an at-home treatment plan. This is especially true for patient who have undergone a spine procedure. So make sure that before you leave, you understand how to carry the at-home treatment plan. If you’re not confident you’ll remember everything, ask for it to be written down. But it’s still important that the doctor explain everything to you verbally.  

Change Some Your Lifestyle Habits

Whether it’s your diet, your daily routine, or things that you do for fun, consider changing or adjusting them according to your current health situation. This may not only speed up your recuperation period but also improve your overall health in order to avoid the same issue from recurring in the future. For back and neck pain suffers, quitting smoking and/or losing weight should be at the top of your list.

Chiropractic care may be focused on the diagnosis and treatment of mechanical disorders of the musculoskeletal system, especially the spine but chiropractors understands that patients are so much more than just spine. This is why they always say that they aim not just to relieve pain but to improve your overall health. In order to achieve that, you need to feed your body healthy foods that contain vitamins and nutrients from vegetables, fruits, lean meat, whole grains, and healthy fats. But, when it comes to nutrition, you have to consider what your body needs and focus on that. There are different ways to eat healthy in order to reach a certain goal. In this case, you have to nourish your body in a way that works with your post-surgery recovery. So, make sure you consult your chiropractor about a meal plan that suits your condition.

Ensure Your Conditions Are Coordinated

If you have other health issues apart from your spine condition, always make sure your doctor or chiropractor knows about it. This is because treatments or medications for your spine condition alone may have adverse effect to your other condition. You can do one treatment that treat one condition and then aggravate another.

Be Smart About Your Prescriptions

Being a safe consumer of medications goes beyond simply following the correct dose. Are you getting refills at the appropriate time? Are you adhering to drug? Are you making the right adjustments to your drug regimen if you’re having spine surgery? Medication safety can be complex, it can help you but it can also cause problems if you don’t know how to handle it properly.

Prepare Your Home According To Your Needs

If your room is on the second floor, maybe you can move to the first floor while recuperating. Make sure you can easily reach light switches and the floor must be clutter-free to avoid accidents especially if you have trouble moving around after the operation. Even small changes like this in your home can make your spine care experience a lot easier. So that you can focus on your spine until you’re fully well instead of constantly worrying how to go up and down the stairs without falling.

Top 11 Ways You Ruin Your Own Health

There are things that we do every day without thinking much of it because it’s a part of your habit. While there are times that we do some things thinking it helps us in certain ways. However, you might be surprise that most of those are actually wreaking havoc in your health. Here are the most common habits that are actually ruining your health which you should stop doing from now on.

1.      Herbal Supplements

Just because it’s an herbal supplement doesn’t mean it would be good for you and that you should take it. You should always talk to your doctor before you take any herbs to make sure they’re safe and doesn’t clash with your condition or medication.

2.      You Over Exert Yourself

Yes it’s important to workout in order to achieve a fit and healthy body. However, know that your body needs rests from exercises too in order for it to heal. Not doing so can lead to fatigue where your immune system drops and diseases starts to develop.

3.      Not Stretching

Intense workouts can shock your body, and as a result injuries happen. You can prevent this by stretching before and after working out. This helps bring blood to your muscles and increase joint flexibility. Without this, the muscles shortens and become tight.

4.      Not Getting Your 7+ Hours

Do not wear your eye bags as a badge of honor for working hard. You may think that you’re fine with just 2 or 3 hours of sleep but later in life you’ll definitely regret it. Long term effects of sleep deprivation include impaired immune system, becoming more accident prone and weight gain.

5.      Not Scheduling Preventive Visits

You wouldn’t have to deal with complicated health conditions if you were able to prevent it from happening in the first place. How can you do that? Show up to your annual physicals, bi-annual dental exams, as well as those special screenings depending on your gender like mammograms at age 40 for women and prostate cancer exams at 50 for men.  

6.      You're A Crunch Addict

Sit-ups and crunches are famous ab-workouts. However, it may not give you the result that you want and end up causing you back pains instead if you’re doing them wrong. You don’t have to ditch crunches entirely, but you should do them slowly and use proper form. If you know you already have a back condition, consult with a spine specialist like chiropractor first before doing any form of exercise.  

7.      Your Bike Isn't Quite Right

Biking is a great whole body workout. But it can cause you back pain adjust the seat to make sure that it’s properly fitted for you. This way, your body can enjoy the benefits of biking without experiencing pain at the same time.

8.      Skipping Breakfast

People who are always on the go either eat whatever they can buy on the way to work or skip it altogether. This doesn’t just take away the boost you need to take on the day but skipping a meal affects your weight, hormonal health, memory, cognition and mood.

9.      Not Drinking Enough Water

Coffee, tea, juices, and soda don’t count. Yes they’re all beverages but your body needs water not only to hydrate but to also flush toxins out from your body. You know when your body is not getting enough water if you feel tired all the time, your skin is visibly dry, or your pee is never clear and always yellow.  

10. Eating Late At Night

Nowadays, people are either having their dinner too late in the evening or snack in the middle of the night. This habit should really be changed because it’s the number one cause of acid reflux along with its associated diseases and complications.

11. Wearing Flip-Flops

If you think wearing flip-flops is giving your feet a break from high heels, you’re wrong! Slippers offer little to no proper support for your feet arch which makes it vulnerable for injuries like sprains and fractures especially when doing intense activity while wearing it like working out or hiking. Aside from that, it doesn’t give you any protection from sunburn, cuts, bruises, or insect bites.