How not to harm the spine during bends and turns

Even simple inclinations and turns in training and in everyday life have a bad effect on the spine. Goosebumps run down the skin when you look at this action from an anatomical point of view. The prognosis is disappointing: the spine is irreversibly destroyed every day. But it is possible to slow down this process.

Intervertebral discs connect the vertebrae into a single whole, make the spine flexible and at the same time capable of supporting the back in an upright position. This complex structure is subjected to great stress in the course of a person's life and therefore breaks down first of all. The lower spine is particularly affected.

Fortunately, not every back injury involves intervertebral discs. But when you control the safety of your spine, the risk of other injuries - sprains of muscles, tendons and ligaments - is also reduced.

Pain in the same place

Lower back pain and pain radiating to the leg appear when the sciatic nerve is pinched. This nerve runs all the way down to the toes.

With sciatica, the nature of the spread of pain is radial: from the sacrum to the leg along the sciatic nerve. Another option is lumbago, when the pain radiates to the lower back.

With minor destruction of the intervertebral disc, a dull, aching pain in the buttock appears after prolonged sitting or when bending forward. In case of more serious damage to the disc, it can sharply "pierce with a discharge", the leg becomes numb, tingling is felt. Further worse: the hamstrings and muscles of the lower legs weaken, it becomes difficult to bend the legs.

In any case, the root cause lies in the same place - in the spine.

The root of the problem

Painful sensations arise due to pressure on the roots of the spinal nerves in those places where they leave the spine.

The spine consists of vertebrae separated by the cartilaginous tissue of the intervertebral discs. Inside is the spinal cord, from which nerve fibers exit through the intervertebral foramen to different parts of the body. The part of the nerve near the spinal cord and vertebrae is called the root. The intervertebral disc consists of a gelatinous nucleus pulposus and a dense annulus fibrosus surrounding it.

When the spine flexes, the intervertebral disc contracts on one side and expands on the other - this is the norm. In this case, the soft core is displaced. But with a sharp bend of the spine (especially when bending forward), the nucleus pulposus presses too hard on the annulus fibrosus, and this can lead to deformation of the intervertebral disc.

Even without undue stress, drives tend to thin out over the years. This leads to narrowing of the neural openings and compression of the nerves.

The sciatic nerve is the thickest nerve in the human body. It is formed by the roots of two lumbar and four sacral nerves. Damage to any of the vertebrae in these regions leads to problems with the sciatic nerve. But pain can occur in different places. Many people do not even suspect that the root of the problem is in the spine, when pain occurs in the buttock or leg.

The weakest link

The L5-S1 disc, located between the fifth sacral vertebra and the first lumbar vertebra, is subject to the greatest stress. The second weak point is the L4-L5 disc between the upper vertebrae of the sacral spine. This is where problems arise most often.

In addition to carrying the weight of your upper body, these discs act as a long lever when you bend over. Imagine huge pliers with handles half the length of your body. When you bend without changing the position of the sacrum, the intervertebral discs L5-S1 and L4-L5 are clamped with such pliers.

Bending from a standing position is not too harmful for the intervertebral discs: the tailbone is pulled back, and gravity is on your side, stretching the spine. However, if the forward bend is combined with slight twisting, the deformity of the intervertebral discs occurs at the exit site of the nerves.

Another traumatic situation is bending forward from a sitting position, when the sacrum is fixed and the back muscles additionally compress the vertebrae.

Salvation - in the correct position of the pelvis

The human spine is not the most brilliant idea of nature, but you have to pay something for upright posture. One way or another, with age, the intervertebral discs become thinner, the spine shortens and the nerves become pinched. But if you turn back the clock is unrealistic, you can reduce the load on the spine throughout life.

Correct pelvic position is critical, with strong abdominal muscles and good flexibility.

To make your abs muscles strong will help you:

36 abdominal exercises of varying degrees of difficulty;
super effective 5-minute workouts from Zuzka;
planks.

And for the development of flexibility, there is no better fitness direction than yoga:

yoga to develop flexibility;
4 complexes from 5 to 60 minutes for homework;
5 exercises to help you become more flexible and strong.

However, it is important to remember that the "faster, higher, stronger" approach is absolutely inappropriate in yoga. During the bends, you do not need to try at all costs to reach the tips of your toes or lie on your stomach on your hips. The goal of yoga is different: it is to learn how to control the body. Avoid pain and pay attention to the correct position of each vertebra, and then yoga classes will be beneficial and safe.