Today I’ll talk for a bit about prevention. The adage goes; an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of treatment. This holds true with musculoskeletal injuries. All too commonly I see severe spinal injuries as a result of poor ergonomics or faulty lifting mechanics. The most disabling neck and back injuries are undoubtedly cervical and lumbar disc herniations. Commonly referred to as “slipped discs”, they often result in pain in the neck or lower back with burning, tingling or numbness into the arms or legs.
A study done by Adams and Hutton in 1982 stated that without full lumbar flexion, forward bent at the waist, it was nearly impossible to herniate a lumbar disc. The same principles hold true for the cervical spine.
What does this mean for us? It means that maintaining our natural lumbar and cervical curves during lifting will significantly reduce our chances of sustaining a disc herniation. The exact movements involved at the hip and lower back are too lengthy to discuss here, but surely your favorite search engine will lead in the right direction.
Bryan M. Steele, DC