Spinal Hygiene Snippet #7: Motion Is Nutrition for the Spine
There's a phrase I use all the time when talking to my patients about spinal hygiene:
“Motion is nutrition for the spine.”
Our bodies were designed to move.
Yet think about a typical day.
You wake up after several hours of lying still.
You sit down for breakfast.
You sit in the car.
You sit at work.
You look at a computer.
You look at your phone.
You drive home.
You sit on the couch.
Then you go to bed and start all over again tomorrow.
Our modern lives have made it incredibly easy to spend hours and hours in relatively fixed positions.
But your spine wasn't designed to stay in one position all day.
Your spine likes movement
Your spine is made up of joints, discs, muscles, ligaments and other tissues that work together to help you move and support your body.
Movement helps keep these tissues active and gives your body a variety of different loads and positions to adapt to.
Even something as simple as getting up and walking around after sitting for a while gives your body a change of stimulus.
Your spine doesn't need perfect posture all day. It needs movement and variety.
What about the discs?
The discs between your vertebrae are particularly interesting.
They don't have the same direct blood supply that many other tissues in the body have. Their environment is influenced by the movement and loading of the spine.
A useful way to think about this is like a sponge.
When a sponge is gently compressed, some fluid moves out.
When the pressure is released, fluid can move back in.
The changing loads that occur with normal movement are part of the way the tissues around the spine exchange fluid and nutrients.
So when we move, we're not simply exercising muscles.
We're giving the whole system a changing environment to work in.
The problem isn't sitting
Sitting isn't inherently bad.
Neither is driving, working at a computer or using your phone.
The problem is doing the same thing for too long without enough movement and variety.
That's why simply telling someone:
“Sit up straight.”
isn't always the most useful advice.
Instead, think:
Change position. Move regularly. Give your body variety.
If you've been sitting for an hour, get up.
If you've been looking down at your phone, lift your head and move your neck.
If you've been working at a desk all morning, take a walk.
If you've been doing repetitive work, give your body a different movement.
You don't have to redesign your entire life.
You just need to put more movement into the life you already have.
A little movement goes a long way
This is also why I prefer simple, achievable spinal hygiene exercises.
You don't necessarily need a complicated 30-minute programme every day.
A few minutes of intentional movement that you actually do consistently can be far more useful than an elaborate routine that stays on the piece of paper.
Consistency beats complexity.
Start with something manageable.
Make it a habit.
Then build from there.
Your spinal hygiene takeaway
Think about how much time your spine spends in the same positions each day.
Then ask:
Where could I add a little more movement?
It could be as simple as:
Taking a short walk during your workday
Getting up regularly when you've been sitting
Moving through different comfortable ranges of motion
Taking the stairs
Stretching or exercising
Changing your position while working
Spending a little less time sitting when you have the choice
You don't have to move perfectly.
You just need to move regularly.
A question to think about this week
Where could you add five more minutes of movement to your day?
Not tomorrow.
Not when you have more time.
Today.
Because your spine doesn't need you to be perfect.
It needs you to keep moving.
Motion is nutrition for the spine.
