[Click! Health] Chuseok Gathering for the Whole Family, Check Waist Health by Generation

Elderly Should Maintain Muscle Strength to Avoid Stooping
Middle-Aged Should Frequently Do Muscle Relaxation Exercises
Youth and Young Adults Should Watch Out for Scoliosis

[Asia Economy Reporter Lee Chunhee] This Chuseok is the first holiday since the full lifting of social distancing measures due to COVID-19. It is also an opportunity to meet family members who have not been seen for a long time and check on each other's health. From grandparents whose backs have started to bend, to parents suffering from chronic lower back pain, and grandchildren with curved spines due to poor posture, let's explore generation-specific check points for a strong spine.

Maintain Muscle Strength to Avoid Becoming a Stooped Elderly

If your parents’ backs are more bent than before, spinal diseases or muscle health issues should be suspected. As we age, our bodies undergo degenerative changes and muscle mass decreases. Along with the lumbar ligaments that support the spine, weakening back muscles make it increasingly difficult to straighten and support the back.

Lee Dongchan, Neurosurgeon at Mokdong Himchan Hospital, said, “When back muscle strength weakens, it becomes more comfortable and natural to walk with hands behind the back or with a bent back,” adding, “Many people miss the treatment window for spinal stenosis, which causes pain due to narrowing of the spinal canal, or compression fractures caused by osteoporosis, resulting in living with a bent back and spine.”

A hunched back is not only unattractive but can also be a condition requiring treatment. It is important to prevent it before the back bends and treatment becomes necessary. To support the spine, the abdominal muscles and the ligaments and muscles connecting the vertebrae must be well developed. Exercises that help strengthen the abdominal muscles include lying flat on your back and bending the knees toward the chest. Another helpful exercise is pressing the head, back, and waist against a wall, lifting the head, pulling in the abdomen, and repeatedly sliding up and down while leaning against the wall. Since most elderly parents find strength training difficult, it is better to start by teaching simple postures that help straighten the back.

Especially, muscle loss, which currently has no effective treatment, should be regarded as a disease. It is important to exercise and consume protein, which is the building block of muscles. As we age, the body's ability to synthesize protein into muscle decreases, requiring higher protein intake. Checking your parents’ eating habits to ensure they are not lacking in protein intake is necessary.

Prevent Middle-Aged Back Pain with Exercise

It is not easy for busy office workers to take care of their back health. After spending long hours sitting at a desk, many suffer from back pain due to childcare and household chores after work. This is why a significant proportion of back pain patients visiting hospitals are office workers. The longer you sit, the higher the risk of developing back pain.

If the cause of back pain is not identified early and addressed, the pain often becomes chronic and recurrent. Especially when pain occurs intermittently, people tend to forget the pain itself once it subsides instead of investigating the cause, often ignoring intermittent pain and eventually becoming chronic back pain or herniated disc patients.

Some early back pain is caused by muscle tension. When your back hurts after overexertion, you should find ways to relax your body. Frequently rotate your back gently to relieve muscle tension and walk whenever possible.

Middle-aged people, whose back muscles for bending weaken significantly with age, may suffer from chronic back pain. It is easy to mistake the pain for disc problems or other causes, but since it can improve with exercise, knowing the exact cause is important. Also, people who do not usually exercise are more prone to pain when they strain their back muscles or ligaments. When experiencing intermittent pain, rest lying down, and once the pain subsides, start back exercises.

Maintaining Back Health is Essential Even for Those in Their Teens and Twenties

People in their teens and twenties should not be complacent either. The back does not simply endure because one is young, and while elderly backs tend to bend forward, those in their teens and twenties often experience lateral curvature.

The exact cause of the spine twisting sideways is not yet clear, but there is consensus that poor posture is one of the causes. The spine, which connects from the skull to the pelvis, forms a gentle S-shaped curve. However, when the back twists and tilts to one side, abnormal lordosis, kyphosis, and rotational deformities occur together.

According to the Health Insurance Review & Assessment Service, 55% of back patients in their teens and twenties have scoliosis. When the spine deviates beyond a certain angle, one shoulder becomes higher, the pelvis height differs, and it can even hinder growth in teenagers. If the back protrudes or is asymmetrical when bending forward, scoliosis can be suspected. A belt twisting to one side or uneven wear on one shoe heel can also indicate scoliosis. X-rays are taken to measure the angle of spinal curvature to determine the severity.

For adolescents with scoliosis detected during growth, wearing a brace is recommended first, along with careful monitoring and correction of posture to prevent spinal deformity. When sitting for long periods, light stretching to loosen the body and regular exercise to strengthen back muscles are also effective methods.