For many mums and dads, back tension and physical discomfort become part of everyday life. It’s the lower back strain from carrying a toddler on one hip, the tight shoulders from feeding sessions, the mid-back tension from pram pushing, car seat lifting, and hours spent on the floor with growing kids.
Most parents are not ignoring their wellbeing because they don’t care. They are simply focused on everyone else first.
There is always another school pickup, another interrupted night of sleep, another task that feels more urgent than booking an appointment for yourself.
The Hidden Impact of Ongoing Discomfort
Four in five Australians will experience back pain at some point in their lives. While many people think of it as purely physical, ongoing discomfort can also affect sleep quality, energy levels, focus, and patience throughout the day.
For parents, that can shape family life in ways that often go unnoticed.
When you’re not sleeping well or moving comfortably, everyday moments can feel more demanding. Floor play, family outings, bike rides, and even simple household routines may start to feel harder than they once did.
Why This Year’s Spinal Health Month Matters
This year, the Australian Chiropractors Association has expanded Spinal Health Month from one week into a full month-long campaign to encourage Australians to pay closer attention to their spinal health and overall wellbeing.
The message is especially meaningful for families.
Parents spend so much time supporting the wellbeing of everyone around them that they often overlook their own physical needs. But caring for yourself is not separate from caring for your family. The two are closely connected.
Caring Across Generations
There’s another important person in this picture that we often forget to mention: the grandparent. In many families across our community, grandparents are doing a remarkable amount of hands-on caregiving. School pickups, after-school minding, weekend childcare.
That level of physical activity is genuinely demanding, and many older bodies are being asked to do things they weren’t doing even five years ago. Lifting, bending, carrying, keeping up with active grandchildren adds up. The ACA’s own data flags older Australians as a high-risk group for chronic low back pain, and it’s easy to see why.
Often it’s the mum who is already a client who becomes the conduit. She’s coordinating her children’s health, her own, and now her ageing parents’ too. If that sounds familiar, Spinal Health Month is a good prompt to have that conversation.
Active grandparents are an enormous gift to a family. Supporting their spinal health may help them stay more aware of their body’s needs as they continue doing what they love.
The ACA’s message this June is simple: a healthy spine supports overall wellbeing. For families, we believe there is another important reminder alongside that message: a healthy parent supports a healthy family. If you’ve been putting your own wellbeing at the bottom of the list, or encouraging your partner to simply “push through,” Spinal Health Month is a great opportunity to prioritise yourself too. Small steps towards caring for your own health can positively influence the entire family around you.
Book Your Spinal Health Month Visit