One of the main purposes in the world of training is to try to educate the body to move correctly. That is to say, to be able to acquire positions that during daily life do not have a risk of causing pain or injury.
Getting to that fact is really complicated since it is something that has to be introduced into your life as a habit. In this sense, it is first necessary to know what problems can arise mainly at the lumbar level to be aware of the importance of lifting weights from the ground to keep the spine healthy.
What is the anatomy of the spine?
Knowing your body and its structures is necessary in order to be aware of movement and the importance of moving safely and properly. The spinal column has a design that is divided into 5 parts:
- Cervical spine.
- Thoracic spine.
- Lumbar spine.
- Sacrum.
- Coccyx
The distribution of a spinal column without any pathology is arranged in the form of curves to be able to withstand external forces such as gravity. Therefore, the concept of a straight spine would not be the most suitable since the spine cannot be positioned without any curve. In this context, it is better to talk about the importance of having a neutral position in the spine.
Why is the neutral position of the spine important?
Focusing on the cervical, thoracic and lumbar spine, there are several movements. Within them are flexion and extension. When these occur in an extreme range of motion, it is considered hyperextension and hyperflexion, and therefore it will be in an intermediate interval where the neutral position of your column a is found.
At the lumbar level, the importance of maintaining a neutral position is very important since in hyperextension there is a collision of the articular facets of the lumbar vertebrae that also causes tension in certain ligaments. This carries a risk of injury such as spondylitis and spondylolisthesis among others.
On the contrary, in hyperflexion there is an increase in the pressure of the intervertebral disc causing a posteriorization of the aqueous material of the vertebral nucleus. This situation carries a high risk of suffering a lumbar hernia, and even more so if the movement is accompanied by a vertebral rotation. This movement is very common to observe when picking up weights from the floor.
At the thoracic level, the problem of excessive thoracic flexion leads to respiratory problems, a greater probability of injury to the shoulder and neck pain due to contractures and stiffness of certain muscles such as the upper trapezius. And these are just some of the problems that may exist.
2 exercises to learn to place the spine in a neutral position
In order to position the spine in a straight way, it is necessary to start educating your body and being aware of the movement. To do this, certain exercises can help you until you know the ideal way to lift weights or any object on the floor correctly.
1. Seated postural correction
One of the biggest problems in back pain is caused by spending many hours sitting in a lumbar flexion position, which causes all the weight of your body to fall on the ligaments and vertebrae. Think that your muscles can and must be really strong to be able to bear the weight but, when sitting, these muscles become weak. To avoid this:
- From a sitting position try to correct your posture so that your chest goes forward.
- Position your neck back without looking up.
- Mobilize your pelvis to mobilize the lower back so that your abs are going forward and you feel two bones pressing on the seat.
2. Hip hinge exercise
One of the fundamental movements to lift anything off the ground is the hip hinge. This exercise is exactly similar to a deadlift because the joint and muscle involvement are the same. However, it is very curious how many people know how to perform the deadlift technique correctly but then do not perform the same technique to move or lift objects from the floor as when removing the discs from the bar after performing the exercise.
To learn to perform the deadlift correctly, you can help yourself with the following exercise:
- Use a stick or bar of a certain length.
- With your right or left hand (depending on comfort and your dominant side), grab the stick to place it behind your back, so that your hand is at head level.
- With the other hand grasp the stick at the height of the gluteus.
- Keep in mind that the stick must touch during the entire range of the movement at three points: head, thoracic spine and sacrum (between both glutes).
- Begin to bend the upper limb by flexing the hips, then flex the knees. Slowly return to the same position by extending your hips first.
Conclution
One of the biggest health problems is the wrong execution of movement patterns for different reasons such as poor postural education, pain, muscle decompensation, etc. That is why this problem should be addressed from school since it is there where they begin to educate you physically and where they should begin to teach these types of issues. Unfortunately this is not a very common occurrence.
On the other hand, do not forget that trainers specialized in physical exercise are movement educators and it is them, among other competent professionals, who you should turn to. Don’t forget that a good habit is a long-term investment in your health.
Reference.
- Kenneth Leung. How to keep a neutral spine when lifting weights, for Builtlean [Revised October 2016]
