By Brooke Strickland and Andrew Cash, MD
A spinal cord injury is extremely severe and in many cases, life-altering or life-threatening. Taking preventative measures in order to avoid injuring your spine can be done. Following these simple safety tips can help reduce your risk of spinal injury.
Drive safely: Car accidents are some of the leading causes of spinal cord injury. Wearing a seatbelt can help protect you from damage in a crash and in many cases, save your life. And clearly, don’t drink and drive.
Don’t dive into shallow water: Checking the depth of water before taking a dive into a pool, river, or lake, is important to preventing spine injury. Always dive into water that is at least 9 feet in depth and if you are unsure of the depth of a body of water, do not dive into it. Diving into shallow water and hitting head first on the bottom can be an extremely serious accident.
Play sports safely: Wearing appropriate safety gear while participating in sports, such as helmets, etc. are very important to reducing the risk of spinal cord injury.
Prevent falls: Use handrails when walking on stairways, use stools to reach high objects when needed, and walk slowly on slippery surfaces.
Maintain good posture: Continuously slouching can cause damage to your spine and the muscles along the back. Sitting up straight is important and can reduce your risk of developing neck or lower back pain.
Lift weights properly: Poor form when weightlifting can damage your back. Use your core muscles to do lifting, don’t lift with your hips, and don’t overextend yourself.
If you think you have suffered from a spinal injury, contact Dr. Cash at Desert Institute of Spine Care for an appointment at: http://www.disclv.com.
You can also view Dr. Cash's Verified Reviews® at www.medrounds.org/Dr_Andrew_Cash or his personal page at www.andrew-cash-md.com.