5 Effective Treatments For Spinal Instability

Our spines handle an incredible amount of stress each and every day. When we’re younger and stronger, our spine can deal with this stress with relative ease, but as we get older and our bodies start to deal with the natural impact of aging (or an acute injury), our spinal column can become less stable. When this happens, our spinal column becomes a little bit more mobile.

This may sound like a good thing, but excessive mobility isn’t ideal in the spinal column. You can think of your spine similar to a Jenga tower. When you pull the first few pieces out of the structure, it remains quite stable with little sway to the tower. As you pull out more pieces and the column becomes less stable, it starts to move more and more as each piece is removed. The tower is becoming less stable every time you take away a piece until it can eventually no longer handle the stress and everything comes crashing down. While your spine won’t come crumbling down like a Jenga tower, it helps to paint a picture of how an unstable spine has difficulty supporting stress, and this can contribute to problems if the column becomes overloaded with pressure.

An unstable spinal column is oftentimes referred to as spinal instability, and like the Jenga tower, you’ll want to help stabilize it before something bad happens. In today’s blog, we share five ways to stabilize an unstable spine.

Smart Fixes For Spinal Instability

If you have been diagnosed with spinal instability or are noticing mild discomfort in your spine, especially with activity, consider pursuing one or more of the treatment options.

1. Exercise – Exercise can help to strengthen the supportive soft tissues that provide support to our spinal column. Activities that focus on developing your core muscles are especially helpful. If back pain is making activities like running or a gym routine too difficult, opt for some low impact exercises like yoga or swimming.
2. Weight Loss – Losing just a little weight can take a lot of pressure off your spinal column. This would be akin to removing a couple of the top layers of the Jenga tower. When there is less pressure on the spinal column, it is less likely to succumb to problems caused by spinal instability. Pairing the above tip with dietary improvements can help you work towards a healthy weight.
3. Posture Improvements – Spinal instability is oftentimes exacerbated by poor posture positioning. If you work at a desk or spend too much time on the couch at home, odds are you aren’t always in a healthy alignment. This causes your supportive soft tissues to always be working to provide stability to the spinal column, and they can slowly weaken as a result of this prolonged stress. Work to keep your spine in a healthy alignment when sitting and break up extended seated periods to limit extended periods of muscle tension in your back and neck.
4. Physical Therapy – Physical therapy involves targeted exercises performed under the guidance of a professional who can make sure the movements are targeting the right structures. Depending on where your spinal instability is housed, your PT may recommend different stretches and exercises to address the right tissues and muscles. Physical therapy helps patients hone in on the specific area that’s contributing to their columnal instability.
5. Bracing – A final recommendation that may be made by a spine specialist or physical therapist is the addition of a soft brace. This brace helps to provide additional support to the spinal column and shift your spine into a healthy alignment. It isn’t designed to be worn at all times, and your doctor will want you to pair a brace with active interventions like exercise or physical therapy, but the device can provide added support when sleeping or while you’re at the office.

An unstable spine is only likely to worsen without treatment, and that can increase your risk of needing a surgical procedure down the road. Treat the problem head on with the help of Dr. Jackman and the team at the Midwest Spine & Brain Institute. For more information, give our team a call today at (651) 430-3800.