Strengthen & Stretch or Learn How to Move?

I’ve often heard that in order to correct a bad back, you must:

- strengthen it
- strech it
- hold your belly in
- learn to lift with your legs
- keep your stomach muscles tight – all the time
- carry objects close to your body
- “brace” the entire area through muscular contraction
- lose weight

Blah, blah, blah…

An overwhelming majority of back pain is due to the effects of chronically inefficient movement patterns.  Movement patterns that cause us to not use our skeletons correctly.

Huh?

Yes, by not using our skeletons correctly.

Let me explain…

The most efficient way to use ourselves is to have our skeletons do the brunt of the work in keeping us upright.

You see, we are in a constant ebb and flow in our dance with gravity.

Our reactions to the daily stresses of life, along with poorly learned movement patterns cause us to get “out of alignment” with our skeleton.

When we get “out of alignment”, our skeletons aren’t carrying their share of the load, which in turn contributes even more to chronic, habitual muscular contractions that aren’t necessary.

Which causes those “tight" backs (and shoulders, and necks, and hips, etc., etc., etc.)

And it causes joints to be in awkward and inefficient positions, and bear more of the load than they were designed for.

Which creates more wear and tear.

Oh, and let’s layer even more stress over top of all of that, which, as we’ve discussed before, is a somatic experience.

Repeated stress results in even more chronic muscular contractions.

And let’s face it, life is stressful.

It's a vicious circle.

When you put those together, you have the ingredients for repetitive stress injuries.

Chronic back pain is, in a large number of cases, a result of repeatedly being out of alignment with your skeleton.

It’s … a … Repetitive … Stress ... Injury.

Or a cumulative trauma disorder.  You can pick how you want to label it.

The good news is, is that it doesn’t have to stay that way.

But initially, you don’t need to strengthen it.

You don’t need to stretch it.

You need to engage in a process that allows you the opportunity to learn how to use yourself better.

Start moving like a kid again – but take it easy initially.

Roll around on the floor for a small amount of time each day.

Listen to what your body’s telling you.

Get away from repetition and seek out variation - in everything that you do.

What you’ll notice is that those repetitive stress injuries start to fade.

Then if you want to strengthen, then strengthen.

If you want to stretch, then stretch (just a little, though).

But learn how to move first.

LET ME ASK YOU SOMETHING…
What are you doing to avoid back problems and repetitive stress injuries?

LET ME SUGGEST…
For an article on how deal with back pain, send us an email and we’ll send it to you for free.

*****

Chad Estes
Movement Specialist
cestes@etmconsultants.com

Why is Back Pain So Prevalent?

Musculoskeletal Disorders are on the Rise

At the core of the majority of musculoskeletal disorders such as carpal tunnel syndrome and low back pain are poor movement patterns.

Poor movement patterns cause excess wear and tear on our joints, our ligaments, our tendons, and our muscles because we are calling on parts of ourselves to do more than they were designed to do.

In addition to the structural damage, there are high levels of stress and anxiety that normally accompany these issues.

Human beings have very little instincts - we have to LEARN everything it is that we do in order to become self-sufficient.

In terms of movement, we don’t have any “programs” in our brains from birth that inform us how most efficiently to: sit, stand, lift, walk, etc. - all of these are learned over time. What we do learn, more often than not, isn’t the most efficient method of doing something.

While we are young, we are seldom aware of those things that that cause us harm, especially in terms of movement. Our recuperative capacities, as well as our awareness, are such that we don’t recognize those things that cause us harm until we are at the point where the damage that has occurred consciously affects us.

Up to that point, however, there has been a progressive deterioration in our ability to function – we become less and less productive over time.

We unknowingly cause incremental damage to our structures that, in the long term, affects our capacity to produce.

Because movement is so intertwined with everything we do, when movement becomes affected, many other aspects of our functioning become affected as well.

It’s a downward spiral that can only be corrected by providing our nervous system with better “data” in order to make better choices.

And with better choices come better results.

And better results lead to better, more effective business.

LET ME ASK YOU THIS…
Have you ever experienced the symptoms of a musculoskeletal disorder?

LET ME SUGGEST THIS…
Send me an email and let me know how you dealt with it.

*****

Chad Estes
Movement Specialist
cestes@etmconsultants.com