Your spine suffers when you are dehydrated

If you didn’t have enough reasons to start getting your daily ration of water, the spine should be your new number One. Your discs are under enough stress as it is, dealing with the downward force of gravity, your body’s weight and the accumulated negative force of your bad habits like poor posture and body mechanics. Why then do we increase the burden by starving our bodies of the water and nutrients they need to succeed? That is exactly what we do when we neglect to get the proper amount of fluid into our diet on a daily basis. 

Your intervertebral discs need water to function properly

Your spinal discs rely on water to perform their most crucial functions like protecting spinal nerves, cushioning and absorbing shock and providing for smooth articulation between the vertebrae. When you are dehydrated, the discs dry out and are unable to defend against the combined compression of gravity and your body weight. Next, the body diverts any remaining water to your vital organs to keep them functioning, further impairing the ability of your discs to keep your spine balanced and pain-free. As the joints become less lubricated, the mobility of your entire spine is reduced, leaving you stiff and aching. 

Adding more water into your diet

Even though we know better, we still choose sugary, fatty drinks like soda and lattes over good, clean wate. It’s time to start taking your fluid intake seriously. At Associates in Chiropractic, hydration is one of the cornerstones of any wellness plan that we help our patients enact. If you are interested in finding out more about how hydration boosts spinal health, give our office in Houston a call to schedule an appointment today.