The theme for this year’s World Spine Day is “Get Spine Active” (#getspineactive). We’ve often heard the phrase ‘movement is medicine’, and keeping your spine mobile while staying active helps to maintain flexibility and prevent back pain. With over 60 joints in your spine, it’s important that they function properly so the spine can keep you upright while protecting your spinal cord and nerves.
As we get older, we all suffer from wear and tear changes, so are subject to aches and pains from time to time. But this doesn’t mean you need to stop moving – it means quite the opposite! Doing daily exercise and movements to keep your spine functioning properly may help to prevent joints from getting creaky and painful.
This World Spine Day, make sure you #getspineactive. Look out for activities being organised near you, or visit www.worldspineday.org to find out how to organise one of your own!
About World Spine Day
Taking place on October 16 each year, World Spine Day has become a focus in raising awareness of back pain and other spinal issues. With health professionals, exercise and rehabilitation experts, public health advocates, schoolchildren and patients all taking part, World Spine Day will be celebrated on every continent. World Spine Day highlights the importance of spinal health and wellbeing. Promotion of physical activity, good posture, responsible lifting and healthy working conditions will all feature as people are encouraged to look after their spines and stay active. With an estimated one billion people worldwide suffering from back pain, it affects all age groups, from children to the elderly. It is the biggest single cause of disability on the planet, with one in four adults estimated to suffer from back pain during their lives. Prevention is therefore key and this year’s World Spine Day will be encouraging people to take steps to be kind to their spines.
Populations in under-serviced parts of the world often have no access to conventional healthcare resources to care for spinal pain and disability. Often relying on traditional healers, even those who are seen in hospital are often only given anti-inflammatory medication. Dedicated spinal health professionals do not exist in many parts of the world, so education and self-help is key. Even in high-income countries, back pain afflicts many millions of people, resulting in an enormous impact on industry and the economy.
Organized by the World Federation of Chiropractic on behalf of the Global Alliance for Musculoskeletal Health, World Spine Day has over 500 official organizational supporters worldwide. More information about how to get involved is available at www.worldspineday.org, on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook. Simply registering your support via the organisations page helps to spread the word and keep you in touch with the latest events occurring worldwide.