Thanks to Suzanne Jarschke, media spokesperson for the Chiropractors’ Association of Australia, for sharing this article.

With the Olympics around the corner, thousands of elite athletes are using health treatments like chiropractic care to perform at their peak. But you needn’t be a professional sportsperson to deserve to unleash your best; whether it’s in your chosen sport or in day-to-day life.

“Adopting healthy habits today, such as improving postural fitness, can significantly reduce the risk of injury or pain in later years. What’s more, good spinal health can benefit our self-esteem, social relationships and mental health.”

This week is Spinal Health Week (May 23-29) — a national initiative of the Chiropractors’ Association Australia (CAA) — and it’s a great opportunity to remind us all that you can back your inner athlete and perform to your peak by reducing pain, improving posture and living a healthy lifestyle.

Every day more-and-more Australians experience disabling low back pain, neck pain and headaches, limiting their ability to work and engage in an active healthy life. Think about all the hours you spend each day sitting at work or school, commuting, on your computer or other mobile device and watching television.

Poor posture used during these activities increases pressure on your spine, which can cause lower back pain, neck pain, headaches and fatigue.

If you suffer from back pain, neck pain or headaches — or if poor postural fitness is impacting on your ability to live life to the fullest — you need to find a professional to help you.

Chiropractic care is an increasingly common and effective treatment for back pain, neck pain and headaches, eliminating the need for drugs or surgery.

Helping patients make positive changes with respect to nutrition, exercise and wellness is also fundamental to maintaining normal spinal function. Adopting healthy habits today, such as improving postural fitness, can significantly reduce the risk of injury or pain in later years. What’s more, good spinal health can benefit our self-esteem, social relationships and mental health.

To help Back Your Inner Athlete, the CAA has developed a CAA Back App — the closest thing to having a chiropractor with you 24/7. It can be downloaded free from the CAA website, Apple App Store or Google Play and is like your pocket chiropractor.

As you go about your day, it sends subtle reminders about checking your posture, activity levels, water consumption and movement. Its state of the art ‘augmented reality’ feature animates when hovered over Spinal Health Week postcards, which are free from your local CAA Chiropractor. This shows users the correct posture they should maintain in everyday situations.

Get involved

During Spinal Health Week 2016 you can make an appointment with a local CAA Townsville chiropractor for a spinal health check-up and discover what steps you can take to improve your health and wellbeing and Back Your Inner Athlete. You can also download the Back Your Inner Athlete app – CAA Back App — or find more resources here.

The information provided is general in nature and should not substitute any health or medical advice. Please consult a qualified professional to assist with any specific conditions or queries. The opinions expressed as those of the individual columnist. You know the drill…