The spine’s real purpose (explained)

The power of a car comes from the engine, which drives the wheels and makes the whole thing move... Duh!!

But let's say that this fact wasn’t common knowledge, and we were evaluating the workings of a car purely through observation. I think it’s safe to say that most of us would consider the power was coming straight from the wheels themselves. We would need to pop the hood, look underneath and do a real thorough observation to think otherwise.

These same misconceptions are made every day when we think of our bodies. Most of what goes on is not common knowledge, and we cant see underneath our skin.

Spine mechanics is one aspect that often gets misunderstood.

To be fair, there are many uses for the spine. The most critical one I will focus on is:

• Energy transfer.

Let’s use a movement as an example, to understand.

The weighted squat....
Your objective is to place a weight on your shoulders, lower the load as far down as possible, by squatting, then standing up again. So let’s break down the moving and static parts of this movement.

The legs and hips, which have the highest muscle mass, generate the force. That force is then translated through a static spine as it makes its way to the weight. If enough energy is delivered it to the load, then it moves up successfully.

The beauty of the spine is not in its ability to move, but instead, in its ability not to move.

If you look deep into the spinal architecture, you start to understand that it is built for stability.

(The deep muscles of the spine look like guy ropes, which hold a tent sturdy and upright)

• 

If you can understand this basic concept, it will form the basis of your understanding of why so many people develop back injuries and suffer from the related pain.

I will expand this basic concept in future posts, so make sure always to keep this idea in your mind, and refer back to it when necessary.

Chat again real soon,

Chris -