With low back pain now the leading cause of global disability, the most valuable contribution we can make is to move. File photograph used for representational purposes only
| Photo Credit: MOORTHY RV
World Spine Day 2025 on October 16, has arrived with a clear, energising brief: “Invest in Your Spine.” Far from a passive plea to sit up straight, the 2025 campaign is a call to motion, urging every age group to treat spinal health as an active, daily practice rather than a background setting on a digital device. With low back pain now the leading cause of global disability, the most valuable contribution we can make is to move—deliberately, repeatedly, and joyfully—because the vertebrae thrive on rhythm, load, and circulation, not on the static hunch that has become the signature posture of modern life.
Stepping up
For the average adult the equation is refreshingly simple: the more steps you bank before noon, the less pain you will tally by nightfall. A brisk 20-minute walk at sunrise wakes the deep stabilising muscles that hug the lumbar spine and drives nutrient-rich fluid through the discs, keeping them plump and shock-absorbent. From there, micro-doses of motion are the interest that compounds: set a quiet hourly chime, stand up and march in place for 60 seconds while rolling the shoulder blades together; climb one flight of stairs sideways, leading with the left leg on the way up and the right on the way down; swap the elevator queue for a two-minute calf-stretch against the wall. These snippets accumulate into the 150 minutes of moderate activity recommended by the World Health Organization, yet they feel less like exercise and more like reclaiming stolen minutes from a chair.
Pregnancy, often misinterpreted as a nine-month sentence to stillness, is in fact an invitation to curated movement. Physiotherapists now prescribe pool walking three times a week; the buoyancy unloads 70% of body weight while the gentle drag of water strengthens multifidus muscles that guard the spine. On land, a standing pelvic tilt—hands on hips, exhale and tuck, inhale, and release—can be performed at the kitchen counter for two sets of fifteen, turning meal prep into a mini-workout. A low step stool placed beneath the desk allows one foot to alternate elevation, keeping the pelvis dynamic and reducing the static sway-back that compresses lumbar discs. After birth, front-loaded baby carriers can be replaced with ergonomic backpacks that sit above the hips, encouraging the parent to walk taller and longer, transforming stroller routes into spine-lengthening hikes.
Rewrite ageing
Ageing does not retire the spine from activity; it merely rewrites the playlist. Osteopenia vertebrae respond to axial loading with renewed mineral deposition. Doctors encourage the elderly to keep up with their daily outings including temple stairs and market walks to stay in shape, but with small updates. A calm dawn walk around the neighbourhood temple or park gives steady, weight-bearing steps; carrying a light cloth bag with a kilogram of lentils adds a gentle load that tells bones to stay strong. At home, a firm cotton mattress on a regular wooden cot supports the back better than the old rope-strung cot, and placing a rolled towel under the knees during afternoon rest eases lower back arch. Calcium comes through everyday foods: ragi porridge sweetened with jaggery, small river fish eaten with soft bones, and a warm glass of milk at night. These gentle, culture-friendly habits let ageing spines stay active, upright, and part of daily life.
Motion as medicine
The ledger is unambiguous: every minute spent in motion is interest earned against future pain, surgery days and pharmacy bills. This World Spine Day 2025, step outside, swing your arms and feel the living architecture inside you respond. The spine is not a fragile column to be guarded; it is a dynamic spring that wants to be compressed, released and compressed again. Invest today by moving, and your spine will pay dividends for every tomorrow you plan to stand up in.
(Dr. Backiaraj D. is a spine surgeon with the department of spine surgery and neurological sciences at Naruvi Hospitals, Vellore. backiaraj.d@naruvihospitals.com)
Published – October 16, 2025 07:30 am IST
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