Spinal column self-diagnosis

An ancient proverb says: “A man is as young as his spine young is.”

According to experts, only one of 150 people is a happy owner of healthy and flexible spine.

Are you among them? It is not difficult to check using simple functional tests that are easy to do on your own.

Put your feet together and lean forward as much as possible. If you touch the floor with your hands – you get 4 points; with fingers – 3 points; couldn’t reach the floor – 0 points.

Put your feet straight, shoulder width apart. Without moving the pelvis, lean to the left, then to the right, sliding your hands along the leg. If you touch the calves – you get 4 points, if you reach the knee-length – you get 3 points, could not reach your knees – you get 0 points.

Lying flat on your back put your leg behind your head. If you can touch the floor with your legs straight – you get 4 points, if you reach the floor with slightly bent legs – you get 3 points, with strongly bent legs – 2 points, could not touch the floor – 0 points.

This exercise should be done carefully, without violence against yourself.

Let’s sum up.

• If you scored 12-8 points, your spine has an excellent flexibility. All you need is to keep fit.
• If you scored 7 – 4 points, the former flexibility, unfortunately, is lost. But it is possible to correct – physical exercises will help you to bring the shape back.
• If you scored is 3-0 points, your flexibility leaves much to be desired. Probably, you can feel its lack even in everyday life. Only regular and long training will return the flexibility and health to your spine.

Additional test

To find out, is your spine straight or not, try to put your hand behind your back (one on top – over the shoulder, the other – on the bottom, from the waist, and connect your fingers. Then change your hands. If the spine is straight, your arms will easily close in any position. When it is curved, it will be more difficult to close your hands in any position, and sometimes impossible.

Posture

What is a “correct posture”? It is the body position, in which spine experiences a minimal load. At the correct posture, natural spinal curves are symmetrical, the shoulders are on the same level and slightly unfolded, and the stomach is tucked up. That is why we recommend you to take prophylactic posture measures with regularity.

Test for posture checking

Stand with your back to the wall; tightly press the nape, shoulder blades, buttocks, calves and heels.

Stand with your back to the wall, firmly press the back of your head, shoulder blades, buttocks, calves and heels. Then, with one side edge, place one palm on the neck back, and the other on the back at the waist area. In normal posture, the depth of the bends will be approximately equal to the palm width.

Stand in front of the mirror sideways and mentally draw a line from the upper shoulder point through the hip joint and knee to the midfoot.
If your posture is flawless, this imaginary line should be absolutely straight.

Neck

Most of us pay little attention to the neck until pain appears. But it plays a very important role in the normal functioning of the whole organism. To determine the state of the cervical spine, you can use the following functional tests:

Slowly bend your head forward; try to touch the chest with your chin, and then gently tilt your head back.

Tilt your head to the left, then to the right; try to touch your ear with your shoulder.

Turn your head exactly by 90 degrees into one, and then into the other side.

Smoothly turn the head in each direction to the limit, try to look behind yourself.

If you’ve easily performed all these tests, the flexibility of your cervical spine is perfect. If during the head turns you’ve heard crunching or you’ve experienced pain while bending, then your neck’s condition needs a correction. Most likely, you have noted the initial appearances of cervical osteochondrosis.

If you experience pain or discomfort while performing these tests – you should immediately consult a neurologist!