Last weeks post (The Most Important thing to Learn) discussed the curvatures of the spine and the alignment that should be a goal for all of us during exercise and everyday activities .i.e. the J Curve.
This is not a rigid position that should be held at all costs but rather a neutral zone that we aim for. The further away from this zone we move then the more likely we are to get injured.
However, no-one can maintain this ideal spinal zone throughout the day, so exercise can help us build up our resistance to the forces which act on the spine and prevent injury.
The 3 main types of forces we experience are shown below along with the type of exercise that creates the specific forces
Spinal compression occurs when the vertebrae are “pressed” together, or when the intervertebral disc is compressed.
On the other hand, spinal tension is the opposing force to compression. Also known as “traction,” tension occurs when the vertebrae are pulled away from each other, or when the disc is distracted. Think hanging upside down from your feet
A great example of compressive force is when something is literally pressing down on your spine, such as when you have a bar on your back to squat. Compressive forces are highest when you’re very upright in posture. Therefore, you’d deal with more compressive forces in a front squat versus a back squat.
Shear forces occur when one vertebrae is sliding forward or backward on the vertebrae below it. Shear forces are going to be most prevalent when you’re in a bent-over position, as the muscles on the back side of your body are literally trying to keep your vertebrae from sliding forward on one another.
Shear forces will be the highest the more bent-over you are. In a sumo dead-lift where you’re more upright, there will be more compressive forces on the spine. In a conventional dead-lift where you’re more inclined or bent-over, there will be more shear force.
Torsion forces are more associated with rotational exercises occur when one vertebrae is rotating on top of the one below it.
Single arm cable pulls or pushing, med ball throwing and a more functional example would be the golf swing.
THE POINT……. is not to avoid these exercises. Its the opposite actually – WE NEED THESE FORCES
Due to a concept called progressive overload we need to place stress on the body – then allow the body to recover correctly – to ensure that we remain fit, healthy, strong, lean etc.
Progressive overload does not mean continually adding weight or more reps until you are the size of an international rugby player.
Changing your exercises / exercise routines but maintaining similar force loads on the spine while learning new functional movements will help keep the spine healthy and strong and prevent you getting weaker thereby preventing injury.
There are other ways of managing how much you do and I’ll hopefully get a post up about these soon too.
For now refer back to the J Spine control while doing the exercises and if you have any trouble contact us!!