| Most people don't truly understand how muscles | | | | (which we sense as a stiff muscle). Since keeping the |
| work and their relationship to the spinal column, so | | | | balanced stack in place requires "balanced tension", |
| don't fully understand their relationship to spine health. | | | | other muscles have to be enlisted to replace the |
| The spinal column is a delicately balanced stack of | | | | strained one. The enlisted muscles are attached at |
| vertebrae and discs that are held in their proper | | | | different locations and are not pulling in exactly the |
| locations and orientations by muscles, and muscles | | | | same direction the strained one was so they are not |
| are only capable of pulling (being in tension), they are | | | | capable of creating that perfectly balanced tension |
| not capable of pushing (being in compression). So in | | | | and therefore put the delicately balanced spinal |
| order for the various muscle groups to effectively do | | | | stacked at risk. |
| their job of keeping the finely balanced stack of | | | | What were safe bending movements with a healthy |
| vertebrae and discs in place, they are always | | | | back can be potentially damaging to a back with a |
| exerting a small degree of "balanced" tension on the | | | | strained muscle. As you bend forward and the muscle |
| vertebrae which in turn exert modest compressional | | | | groups tension up to carry the levered torso, the |
| forces on the discs. | | | | enlisted muscles pull on the vertebrae differently than |
| Additional compressional force on the discs is created | | | | the strained muscle did and under these high loading |
| by gravitational loading created by your upper torso | | | | stresses can result in damage to discs and/or create |
| when you are upright, but the highest degree of | | | | spinal misalignment. |
| compressional force is created when you bend over. | | | | When you strain a back muscle the body is going to |
| The reason for this is that as the various muscles in | | | | enlist another muscle to fill the role and as a result |
| the front of your body contract, increasing their | | | | your spinal health will be at risk. Continued activity is |
| tension as they pull your torso forward, opposing | | | | generally accepted as the best medicine, but as we |
| muscles located at your back increase their tension in | | | | have seen, the combination of a strained back |
| order to hold your torso back. | | | | muscle and high levels of spinal loading created during |
| The thing that is interesting is that there has been no | | | | some activities can potentially result in additional |
| increase in gravitational forces, i.e. your torso did not | | | | damage. |
| get heavier, yet the compressional force on the discs | | | | So, what's the answer? |
| raises alarmingly. What actually happens is the | | | | The answer is the new modality of treatment for |
| tensional forces generated by the opposing muscles | | | | low back pain called "Ambulatory Spinal Unloading". |
| as one tensions to lever the torso forward and the | | | | This new all in one treatment relieves or reduces |
| other tensions to keep it in check create much higher | | | | loading forces on the spine but allows the user the |
| compressional forces on the discs than normal | | | | ability to carry on their normal active life style. |
| gravitational loading ever does. But, this is normal and | | | | Ambulatory spinal unloading provides the low back |
| the body for the most part is designed to manage it. | | | | pain sufferer the ability to mend and heal in a pain |
| But, when a muscle is strained, the bodies natural | | | | reduced or pain free environment without the risk of |
| reaction is to isolate the muscle from movement | | | | additional damage. |