Over the past few weeks I have met several people who are in pain daily, been to many doctors , even multiple surgeries, yet they are still in pain. How can that be?
I believe, as a society, we believe that muscles have no affect on your body unless you pull one. The fact is, your muscles can create total chaos in your body, making you believe that your pain is caused by something else.
For instance, I get people with bulging discs regularly. They have been to their doctors, who referred them to a surgeon, to either remove the disc, drain it, or fuse the spine. No one really talks about why the disc bulged in the first place! The disc is treated as if it went bad for no apparent reason. This is bad reasoning.
Your spine is supported by two major muscles, Erector Spinae, on each side of your spine. Over the years these muscles will get tight, shorter if you will, putting pressure on the vertebrae which pinches the discs in between them. The pinching of the discs causes the discs to lose their lubrication and literally start to dry out. Usually a fall, nothing major, or you turn too quickly in an awkward position, then BAM!, all of sudden you have a bulging disc. It can create numbness or tingling down your arms or legs. The focus, unfortunately, is on the disc, however the problem is not the disc, but your spine is out of alignment. This misalignment is due to your muscles pulling on one side of your spine more than the other. Not your disc. The bulging disc is the effect. The tight spinal muscles are the cause. Once you lengthen these spinal muscles and have your spine re-aligned, the disc can go back into place relieving the tingling and numbness.
Think about this, take a stack of wooden cubes and make a stack 12 high. Attach a string, of equal length, to 2 sides of the cubes to support them. As long as you attach the strings at exactly the same spot on each side, these strings will keep the cubes in place. In your body this is a good spine, free of problems.
Now take this same stack of cubes and attach the strings, except have one string 2 inches shorter. What happens? As you hold the strings, the stack shifts to one side. This is exactly what happens to your back.
Keep in mind, your back did not get in this position overnight. It took many years of straining from pushing and pulling objects. Do you realize that just standing on your two feet causes your spine to shorten? How you sit in your chair can create problems for your back.
The use of Active Isolated Stretching will help to eliminate problems with back injuries as well as prevent new ones. Keeping your back stretched out and strong will allow you to enjoy your life without chronic back pain.
Are We Looking at the Body Backwards?
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