Two things I need you to understand before we begin. Your spine is a strong resilient structure and moving it in all directions is key to keeping it healthy. Also, your spine is living tissue and should be adequately protected. The dual nature of the spine is no different from any of the other tissues in the body. However, we treat it differently. Far too often we get this idea from ill informed sources that your spine is under constant threat. Bend too far and you’ll “do your disc” or twist to quickly and, boom, you’re laid up in bend hoping to ever walk again. This is simply not the case. In general, your spine IS strong but even the strongest structures can do with a bit of support.
Brace yourself.
No, seriously, brace yourself. Whenever you plan to lift or shift something heavier than you’re used to, you should at the very least be aware of your core. You should be able to switch it on and off and use it to control the forces you’re putting through your spine. Great, now you’re walking like a robot. Don’t do that. Always on, is in many ways just as bad as never on. Control is the name of the game. Use it when you need it. Move forces towards the big muscle of the hip when lifting that bag of mulch or slowly and accurately turn the corner in the shopping centre with a full trolley. I’d also like you to be able to touch your toes.
Can’t do all that? Maybe it’s time you had someone assess your spine and core strength. We also offer Core Connections classes led by our physio Kylie. It’s a solid hour of teaching you how to move.
Elliot Rechtin, MPhysio, Accelerate Physiotherapy