In part II to our Posture & Potluck series I want to talk about supporting the spine. Everyone could benefit from being more conscious about this throughout the day. Whether you prefer to spend these fall days running, playing a sport, or even couch surfing while catching up on your favorite show, always try to think about optimizing the position of the spine. Like we discussed last week, one goal is to always maintain the natural curves of the spine, specifically when performing lifting activities. Today, we will discuss some other things to incorporate into activities to try to achieve the most support
Tip #2: Support that Spine
Keep any load close to your body and keep your spine stable when attempting a lift. By stable, I mean you want to think about drawing in your abdominal muscles to help to better support your spine. This involves activating the very deepest layer of your abdominals, the transverse abdominis. These muscles act with several other muscle groups to help provide a corset effect to the spine, which inherently makes the spine more stable before any movement or lifting takes place.
It is best to try to practice activating the transverse abdominis first in a relaxed position to get the feel of the movement. Try to lay down on your back with both knees bent up, with one hand resting on your chest and the other resting over your belly button. The first step of this exercise will be to perform diaphragmatic breathing. Refer to Figure 2 below for a proper look at diaphragmatic breathing. Practice taking a deep breath in, and really try to fill the belly with air by minimizing the amount of movement that takes place at the chest. Figure 3 is a visual of what someone breathing too much through their chest looks like. Next, begin to exhale and get ready to begin the abdominal bracing activity. Just following the exhale, attempt to try to allow your belly to sink away from your hand. You want to think about performing this bracing motion throughout your entire midsection, as the transverse abdominals have attachments all around. Avoid trying to bulge your belly up in to the hand resting on your belly, as this will activate the more superficial abdominal muscles (your “six pack” muscles). Also try to avoid rolling your pelvis posteriorly into whatever supporting surface you are resting on.
When you feel confident in this motion, try to apply the same principles to standing positions and engage the deep abdominal muscles before you attempt a lift. It may not seem like a very strenuous activity, and as a result, people generally try to do too much with it. It’s definitely a small movement, but very important for providing stability to the spine!
Figure 1: At Rest (below)
Note the hand placement for better tactile cueing. Place one hand over your chest and allow the other to rest just over the belly button.
Figure 2: Correct diaphragmatic breathing (below)
In this picture, note the rise in the belly, allowing the lower hand to raise up. Based on the picture at rest, there is not much movement at the upper hand over the chest.
Figure 3: Chest breather (below)
Note the rise in the upper hand over the chest, and an almost sunken down appearance to the abdomen. This is not allowing for proper excursion of the diaphragm.Next week, stay tuned for the final tip of Posture and Potluck: Keys to a Successful Fall. Remember, choose PT before a small problem becomes a big one!