The concept of a
"neutral" spine is quite well known these days. You need to spend little time in a gym, the
office of a chiropractor or physiotherapist, or reading about the next wave of
amazing core exercises online before hearing or reading the words "keep
your spine neutral." This is sound
advice but many people, particularly those not doing any of the aforementioned
things, don't know what or where this elusive neutral position is. Why is this important you may ask. Well, considering that 80% of us will get
back pain at some point in our lives and that a neutral spine position has been
found to be the least straining position on the spine, there is value to be
gleaned by those currently experiencing back pain and those looking to prevent
it.
If you take a look
around you'll see many examples of what neutral spine is not. Your office colleague slumped over a desk
with their chin jutting forward, your classmate slouched in a chair, or the
athlete with an exaggerated low back curve and a pelvis that is tipped forward. All poor displays of neutral spine
positioning! On the other hand, if you
view someone from the side and can draw an imaginary vertical line through the
front of their ear, the point of their shoulder and the side of their hip,
while appreciating smooth and gradual spinal curvatures from neck to low back,
you are witnessing a good model of neutral.
In this position, the ever present force of gravity imposes more
balanced forces on the body versus leveraging it in any one direction.
Now, all activities
and life in general cannot and should not be spent in neutral. You would look rather silly and rigid trying
to make that happen. Just imagine a
football wide receiver stretching out to make an acrobatic catch...that is not
neutral. However, from a risk management
point of view, in addition to the advice of keep moving as much as possible as
the body does not like sedentary positions, staying in neutral is the safest position
while doing many common daily activities.
Sitting, for example, is less straining on the neck, mid, and low back
if that imagined plumb line aligns where it should. Adjust your position, desk set-up, chair,
etc. to facilitate that posture. When
lifting, bend with your hips and/or knees and maintain the curves of your spine
while you stiffen your abdominal muscles.
This spares the spine and uses our much larger lower body muscles. A simple drill you can perform to assess your
ability to do this is the hip hinge.
Stand upright with a broomstick along your back with one hand holding it
behind your neck and the other behind your low back. Then, while keeping the broomstick in contact
with your head, mid back, and tailbone, bend forward as far as possible while
maintaining the 3 contact points. It's
often not as easy as it sounds! Practice
this and get a sense of how it feels so you can replicate it throughout the
day. On a final note, if you need to
twist your body follow the rule "keep your nose between your
toes." Pivot at your hips and
feet/ankles to direct motion there, allowing the spine to stay straight. Think of it this way. The spine should resist twisting forces, not
create them.
This
article is for general information purposes only and is not to be taken as
professional medical advice.
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