Protecting your Spine

How often do you find yourself bending over to pick something up or to work in your garden and all of a sudden you move and it feels as though a jolt of electricity has just shot through your back and legs... For most of us, we have all experienced this jolt. And, the feeling can linger and last for days; creating limitations to your daily activities. To prevent this from happening we need to be proactive and not only strengthen the muscles that surround or spine, but also learn how to move so that we are not straining our muscles and ligaments.

Spinal Anatomy 

As a person who suffers from degenerative arthritis in their cervical and lumbar spine keeping the muscles that run the length of my spine strong is necessary. And, really paying attention to how I work my back when I move is also vital.

Today, while teaching my Chair Yoga for All class we talked about the anatomy of the spine and how to move safely. Many that I teach have had issues with their backs at one time or another; or the pain is ongoing. I see my people nod yes when I ask how many have hurt their backs from either lifting, bending or twisting. There are several factors which can create this tension in our backs; one can be the anatomy of our spine, such as scoliosis. Different types of arthritis can also be a contributing factor. As we age we find ourselves losing the muscle tone we once had and as a result we begin to round. Another factor can be the lack of exercise. If we are relatively immobile the muscles can weaken, thus weakening our backs. In addition, we can also strain our backs/spines from over exercise or not doing the exercises properly. Lastly, but not limited to is the way we carry ourselves in our daily lives. I worry as I see our society today all hunched over at their computers or on their phones. As we round we put so much strain on our cervical, thoracic, and lumbar spine.

    How do you bend over? Do you bend over like the letter "C"? Do you round into your upper back as you go down to complete your task? If you find yourself bending like this you are increasing the pressure and strain on your lower backs muscles & ligaments. You are elongating the muscles to the point where they may just "shut off," and you find yourself putting pressure on your discs; which in turn will aggravate your tissues. The diagram on the left shows the impact of continuously rounding the upper back to bend over to complete tasks throughout our lives. Notice the weight it adds to our back as we move forward. 

    One of my lovely people commented as we practiced, "I have been working in my garden and my back is hurting me so much. If I shouldn't be "rounding down," which I know I am doing, how then should I be moving so that I can keep gardening without feeling so much pain afterwards?" Good question... Throughout my years of teaching I have stressed to my people, "hinging at the hips" when we take ourselves downward into a forward fold or a squat. What exactly does this mean? The photo on the left shows the difference between "rounding" and "hinging."  The author, Michael St. George, who is a PT, DPT gives you an excellent explanation as to the difference between the two ways and their effects.

To come into the Hip Hinge we want our lumbar spine to be in a neutral position and have a slight bend in the knees. Our weight is predominantly on our heels. We want to use our bigger, stronger muscles (quads & hamstrings) to protect our back. And, we want to allow our hips to do the work. Our hips are better equipped to handle the strain of the bend. Think flat back like a tabletop.  This way of bending relaxes the back muscles instead of tightening them. Think of sending your bum back as you bento to pick up or fold. 

    Sometimes we find ourselves bending over to pick up an item that is very/extremely heavy. Short of leaving it for someone really strong..... you need to remember to still hip hinge but also bend your knees down to lift. Use your thighs. 

    To see how you bend watch yourself in a mirror. Do you round or hinge? Then to see the relationship with our spine and folding use a long stick and place it along your back from the head to the bum. There should be three points of contact: 1. back of head 2. thoracic spine 3. bum. Can you bend and keep those three points connected to the stick???? 

    As we ended our practice together we all took a moment to talk about the class and what we had discovered about ourselves and how we move. I feel that this discussion is so necessary when we practice; whether it is talking about the spiritual discoveries or the physical. Many brought up their concerns about the future generations and how the issues they may face from the way in which they carry themselves now; bent over their phones, texting with their thumbs and sitting with a rounded frame at their computers. Individually, each brought out how they felt after the class and that for some they really had to think about their movement. Yes..... I hope that you take the time to think about how you move, how you sit, stand, and work. A healthy spine is a healthy life. 

Resources:

Forward head Syndrome Image: https://mmptinc.com/poor-posture-neck-pain/

Hinge Hips Diagram: https://nutrabio.com/blogs/endurelite/the-7-best-hip-hinge-exercises?view=endurelite

Using the dowel:https://www.rehabhero.ca/exercise/hip-hinge-with-dowel