The spine is called the second lifeline of the human body and is the most tiring and precious part of the body.

It is related to the limbs and internal organs, and plays an important role in connecting the previous and the following.

So do spine babies know how to protect them at different ages?

Early childhood

Natural growth, pay attention to abnormalities

Spinal characteristics:

The infant period is the golden period for the development of the baby’s spine, because The three physiological curvatures of the human spine are formed during this stage. In the process of establishing this curvature, abnormal curvature of the spine (reverse curvature or side curvature) is likely to occur. Therefore, at this stage, parents should be good at observation and detect abnormalities as early as possible.

If you do something that harms the baby's spine at this stage, resulting in spinal dysplasia, it will not only cause spinal diseases, but also cause problems such as hunchback and high and low shoulders, affecting the baby's personal image in the future. and temperament.

Can you observe whether the child’s head and neck are tilted? Are the heights of your shoulders inconsistent? Use the pad of your middle finger to check whether it is in a straight line from the tip of the spinous process on the posterior edge of the spine to the next segment. If asymmetry, inconsistency, etc. are found, it is likely to be a precursor to idiopathic scoliosis.

Adolescence

Correction and early adjustment

Spine characteristics:

From school age to high school graduation is still an important period for spine development , it is necessary to pay attention to the cultivation of good posture, including the development of basic posture habits of sitting, lying, standing and walking. Especially before the third or fourth grade of elementary school, you must frequently check whether scoliosis occurs in the spine. Early detection and early treatment are the key, because the predilection, treatment, and development periods of scoliosis are concentrated in adolescence. It should also be noted that modern primary and secondary school students have a heavy academic workload and often study at their desks, which can easily cause cervical and lumbar spine diseases.

More than 80% of adolescent spines in my country are in a sub-healthy state, and the incidence of spinal diseases is as high as more than 25%. Long-term poor posture is one of the important factors, followed by too little exercise and trauma to the head and neck spine. The specific manifestations are different from those of adults. Most of them have cervical spine problems. There is no obvious history of injury, only a history of fatigue and posture. Some children may just complain that they often have headaches and feel a little dizzy. At this time, attention should be paid to cervical spine problems. Lumbar spine problems are mostly related to exercise. What should be noted is the occurrence of juvenile lumbar disc herniation.

Lumbar disc herniation occurs in teenagers or teenagers. Most of the cases are caused by trauma, strenuous activities or violence. The intervertebral disc will be damaged and cause symptoms of back pain or leg pain. The lumbar intervertebral discs of adolescents or teenagers are not as degenerated as adults. Adults may experience prolapse or other serious symptoms. The most common symptoms among adolescents or teenagers are waist and leg pain and varying degrees of discomfort. Some teenagers or teenagers are due to genetic factors, and herniation of intervertebral discs is also related to genetics.

Youth

Regular exercise, sports and leisure

Spinal characteristics:

From the perspective of spinal degeneration, 18 to 35 years old The stage should belong to the youth group. However there are different roles in society at this stage. Various complex factors, great psychological pressure, and accidental injuries and fatigue injuries are very easy to occur. It is also a period of high incidence of cervical and lumbar spondylosis.

There are currently more than 5 million adolescents suffering from scoliosis in our country, and the number is increasing at a rate of 300,000 every year. Adolescent spine health problems have gradually become the third most common problem after myopia and mental health problems. Big killer. Among them, adolescent scoliosis and adolescent neck pain are particularly prominent problems.

Mid-life period

True love yourself, take a break from the busy schedule

Spinal characteristics:

Around the age of 35 to 60, the human spine will be in acute The peak stage of injury and chronic strain, especially the degeneration of the intervertebral discs. Among them, the annulus fibrosus has caused many strains and damages due to decades of wear and tear, but the elasticity of the nucleus pulposus has not been significantly reduced. It's like an old horse in its old age still carries the load of its prime and is easily exhausted. Clinicians consider this stage to be the peak age for disc problems.

When people reach middle age, they have to bear heavy responsibilities both inside and outside, and the role of the spine has also reached the peak of life. At this time, the diseases that affect spinal health are mostly trauma and strain.

The following issues should be noted in middle-aged spinal health care:

One is the sailboat effect

The spine is like the mast of a sailboat, and the surrounding muscles are like sails. cable. The spine's support, protection, load-bearing and movement functions for the human body are all completed by the coordinated contraction of the muscles attached to it. The stability of the spine is also achieved by the tension balance of its anterior, posterior and lateral muscles. Spinal injuries caused by chronic strain deserve our great attention. In recent years, as the Internet and information technology continue to enter daily life, people's production and lifestyle have undergone tremendous changes. Static muscle strain caused by maintaining one position for a long time is increasingly common.

The second one is called the barrel effect

The barrel effect is also the short board effect. The amount of water a barrel can hold depends on the shortest board.

The spine is composed of bones, muscles, joints, ligaments, nerves, and blood vessels. Among these factors, the weakest structural or functional status factor affects the functional status of the entire spine or the strength of the spine. The loss or damage of any part of the function will affect the strength of the spine. If the short board is not repaired and maintained, no matter how strong other factors are, the spine will not be able to bear its function.

The third is the butterfly effect

Some small things can be ignored, while some small things, if magnified by the system, will have catastrophic consequences for an organization, an organ, or a system. It must be taken seriously. For example, the intervertebral disc that we are familiar with relies on its own elastic deformation to buffer and absorb shock. When the spine is upright, it bears vertical pressure and bulges and deforms around. When the human body lies down and the spine becomes a beam, the muscles When you relax and the vertical pressure of your body weight is reduced, the bulging deformation can be slowly retracted. If you sit and stand for long periods of time unintentionally, it will damage the elastic deformation ability of the intervertebral disc, and even cause irreversible plastic deformation - intervertebral disc herniation.

Old age

Eat small meals frequently and exercise moderately

Spinal characteristics:

After the age of 60, the nucleus pulposus loses water rapidly. Reduction, the rebalancing of nucleus pulposus degeneration and fiber degeneration will soon occur, and intervertebral disc herniation problems will be less likely to occur. However, due to fibrosis and calcification of the intervertebral disc and ligament tissue, the fragility of the entire spine increases, and the risk of vertebral body compression fracture increases.

Therefore, elderly patients often suffer vertebral fractures of the thoracolumbar spine due to a mild fall or even a slightly strenuous exercise. Secondly, acute and chronic joint problems are also common in elderly patients due to severe degeneration of bone structure.

In old age, catabolism is greater than anabolism, and the main disease affecting spinal health is degenerative disease. Especially for elderly people with osteoporotic spines, if you are not careful sometimes some daily actions such as coughing, sneezing or bending down to pick up things may cause pathological fractures.

It should be noted that back support focuses on daily maintenance of the back. If you have serious lower back problems, you should seek medical treatment in time.