Hydration and Healing: How Water Helps Spinal Health 

Are you properly hydrating each day? While healthy people need to be drinking adequate amounts of water each day, those with chronic injury will have a more difficult time healing if they are not drinking enough water throughout the day. This is how hydration can help with spinal health and healing. 

The Importance of Hydration 

How many cups of water do you drink a day? If you aren’t drinking enough, it can cause a number of issues. Harvard’s School of Public Health explains that drinking enough water each day is crucial for many reasons. Being hydrated:

• Regulates body temperature 
• Keeps joints lubricated 
• Prevents infections
• Delivers nutrients to cells 
• Keeps organs functioning properly
• Improves sleep quality, cognition, and mood 

Hydration and Spinal Health

Your spine has a lot of water that runs through and around the discs, vertebrae, and bones. If you are dehydrated, it can cause issues with how your spine is functioning. Your discs lose water naturally as you age, however, dehydration can also happen when you don’t get enough water in each day. SpineNation explains that if the dehydration is severe enough, it may increase the risk of injury to the spine or aggravate an existing condition. 

Further, they explain, the spinal discs contain up to 85% water. When you sit or stand, the spinal discs are compressed by the weight they are supporting. When you sleep at night, water is able to flow back into the disc. However, this can only happen if you are properly hydrated. When dehydrated, water won’t be able to be replenished within the spinal discs. This means that they will remain compressed and can lead to pain. 

Signs of Back Pain

Back pain can be a common symptom of a number of ailments, from dehydration to the flu to even pregnancy. It can present itself in symptoms like:

• Inflammation centered in the lower back (lumbar), neck (cervical), and mid-back (thoracic) regions
• Stiffness along the spine and the muscles nearby
• Noises like pops and cracks or sensations when you move after sitting idle or laying down
• Pain that is worse after moving
• Pain that is worsened or improved by exercise
• Spasms throughout the back that make it hard to stand, sit, or even lie down
• Numbness 

Treatment Options for Back Pain

While staying hydrated can help relieve back pain, sometimes your condition could be bad enough that water alone won’t correct the entirety of the issue. You are more likely to experience lasting back pain that needs to be professionally treated if you: 

• Have poor posture, especially when seated
• Push yourself too hard when exercising or doing physical labor
• Lift heavy boxes or unbalanced loads — especially if you lift with your back rather than your legs
• Live a sedentary lifestyle that allows the back muscles to weaken
• Have untreated depression or anxiety 

Back Pain Treatment Options

At Texas Spine and Sports Therapy Center, we use advanced spinal treatments and chiropractic care to offer patients more options to relieve their pain. We offer back pain treatments like:

• Electrical stimulation to calm irritated or damaged nerves
• Spinal alignment therapy to straighten out slipped vertebrae and relieve pressure on discs
• Recommendations for braces or other support appliances to protect the back during activity 
• Steroid shots to reduce pain in one specific area
• Postural therapy to help realign the spine 
• Spinal surgery, if needed 

Determining What is Best For You

When you come in and tell us you are suffering from back pain, we will start by learning your medical history and perform a physical to learn about underlying risks and issues. From there, we use that information with further testing to explore the spine and nerves to get to the bottom of your pain. With all of this information, we will put together a custom solution that best fits your needs and lifestyle. 

When looking for help with your back pain, it’s best to take a full inventory of all of your symptoms. Many different irritations and inflammations can all fall under the umbrella term ‘back pain’ — even dehydration. 

Make an Appointment with Texas Spine and Sports Therapy Center

If you have back pain, make an appointment with our team at Texas Spine and Sports Therapy Center. Serving Austin, Texas and the surrounding areas, we’re here to help you understand what is causing your pain and what it will take to improve. Call us today to schedule a consultation at (512)-806-0015. You don’t have to suffer from back pain forever. Get the help you need today!