| Author |
 Topic  |
|
|
Piano5
29 Posts |
|
|
art
1903 Posts |
 Posted - 06/27/2011 : 13:45:52
|
The older I get the more I understand just how little the so-called experts really know. Always consider the money. These guys have zero financial interest in telling their patient to go home and read Healing Back Pain, even if they knew about it...
Cynical but true; money makes the world go 'round. |
 |
|
|
Dave
USA
1864 Posts |
Posted - 06/27/2011 : 14:31:20
|
There is nothing fundamentally wrong with strengthening the core muscles and practicing good posture.
What is wrong is jumping to the erroneous conclusion that poor posture and weak core muscles cause chronic back pain. |
|
|
|
Javizy
United Kingdom
76 Posts |
Posted - 06/28/2011 : 08:20:52
|
quote:
What is wrong is jumping to the erroneous conclusion that poor posture and weak core muscles cause chronic back pain.
I wouldn't say its erroneous, unless you assume every form of chronic pain is psychosomatic. Assuming everybody should be treated as a TMS patient is as bad as assuming postural correction techniques will work for everybody. From what I've read about the Alexander Technique, it sounds extremely inefficient, and I wouldn't doubt that most MDs are still as poorly equipped to help you with your posture as they are with your psychosomatic symptoms.
I've been finding posture an interesting topic. You can actually reverse the effects of osteoarthritis and otherwise prevent it if your posture is well-balanced, so it's well worth learning about. I don't know how you would "practise good posture" though, since it's determined by the relative tone of muscle pairs, e.g. if your biceps are twice as strong as your triceps, they'll pull your elbow joint out of place no matter how much you attempt to straighten it. This is vital knowledge if you do weightlifting or sports that repetitively engage one set of muscles, and it might benefit you if you find your joints crack/pop or become stiff. A properly aligned pelvis can even improve your lovemaking abilities  |
|
|
|
Javizy
United Kingdom
76 Posts |
Posted - 06/28/2011 : 08:27:49
|
Oh, and strengthening your core muscles can actually make your posture worse if there's imbalance in your abdomen. A lot of people with dowagers humps are literally being pulled down by their abdominal muscles. If you do do core exercises though, be sure to work on the lower abdominal area, since this is what supports your lumbar spine. Doing lots of standard sit-ups will overwork the upper abdominals, which will pull you down and leave you with a pouchy belly below. I wish I'd known that when I used to do them  |
|
|
|
Dave
USA
1864 Posts |
Posted - 06/28/2011 : 10:54:25
|
quote:
Originally posted by Javizy
quote:
What is wrong is jumping to the erroneous conclusion that poor posture and weak core muscles cause chronic back pain.
I wouldn't say its erroneous, unless you assume every form of chronic pain is psychosomatic.
I certainly did not say every form of chronic pain is psychosomatic.
I believe poor posture in and of itself does not cause chronic back pain, nor does "weak" core muscles.
The more we believe our bodies are susceptible to chronic pain from normal, everyday activities, including those that we somehow believe are beyond the capabilities of human evolution (such as sitting on a chair or typing on a keyboard) the more we are susceptible to TMS symptoms.
Of course, if we sit slouched in a chair for 8 hours with no break, our back and shoulder muscles may be tense and sore. If we type at a keyboard for 8 hours with no rest, our fingers and arms may be sore. But the issue is escalating the temporary strain into a chronic condition, as if our bodies are so delicate, they cannot handle what we are putting them through. It is quite the contrary. Our bodies are remarkable, adaptive machines that can put up with a lot more than modern medicine would have you believe. |
|
|
|
Javizy
United Kingdom
76 Posts |
Posted - 06/28/2011 : 16:14:50
|
It's interesting that you mention evolution, because our sedentary lifestyles couldn't run more counter to it. We were designed for movement, and moving from a car, to a desk chair, to a car, to a couch, to a bed day in and day out isn't quite what nature had in mind. We've grown arrogant in the way we view nature.
quote:
But the issue is escalating the temporary strain into a chronic condition
If eight hours can cause a temporary strain, then what does 40+ hours a week for 50 years equate to? Like you say, the body is remarkably adaptive, and that includes adapting to any misuse you may force upon it for long periods of time. Without understanding these adaptations, how can you possibly hope to reverse them?
Even if you use your body reasonably, it can only adapt to stimulus. If you use only your finger flexor muscles for 10 years, the extensors will grow long and weak, and the tight flexors will pull the joints out of alignment. Misaligned joints will put undue pressure on connective tissue, and cause adaptations in bone growth (osteophytes), which will likely lead to pain symptoms. The same relationship applies to any muscle pair in your body. The idea that back muscles like guitar strings and abdominals like cooked spaghetti won't cause you problems seems a bit optimistic.
I share your cynicism about the medical community, as I alluded to in my previous post. Much of what I'm saying I learnt from Vic Barker's very informative book Posture Makes Perfect. He's a fellow sceptic, and has shared the same sort of rejection from the medical community that Sarno has, despite the obvious merits of his work. He focuses mainly on the ill effects of bad posture, the shocking ignorance of the medical community, and how we can use our bodies the way nature intended. It's not about chronic pain, just about good health and fitness, so I highly recommend it. |
|
|
|
tennis tom
USA
4749 Posts |
Posted - 06/28/2011 : 16:58:22
|
quote:
Originally posted by Javizy
Without understanding these adaptations, how can you possibly hope to reverse them?
I personaly find a half hour a day of aerobic exercise like runnning or swimming, supplemented with maybe some yoga or gym ocassionally, works wonders to maintain mindbody health.
DR. SARNO'S 12 DAILY REMINDERS:
www.youtube.com/watch?v=r0dKBFwGR0g
TAKE THE HOLMES-RAHE STRESS TEST
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Holmes_and_Rahe_stress_scale
Some of my favorite excerpts from _THE DIVIDED MIND_ :
http://www.tmshelp.com/forum/topic.asp?TOPIC_ID=2605
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
"It is no measure of health to be well adjusted to a profoundly sick society." Jiddu Krishnamurti
|
|
|
|
Javizy
United Kingdom
76 Posts |
Posted - 06/29/2011 : 07:56:58
|
I've grown to like yoga a lot. A good routine will keep your joints in great shape. A well-balanced routine at the gym will do the same thing, although I think combining stretching and resistance training is the best way to go. I'd like to take up running as well, but I'm going to wait until my legs are in better shape. At the moment, I can barely bend over past 90-degrees because of the tightness in my hamstrings, and I can hardly lift my lower leg past 30-degrees when sitting on a flat elevated surface because my quadriceps are so weak. It's amazing how such massive imbalances can develop while I remain completely oblivious to them.
All I'm saying is that I don't think the role of posture should be underestimated in improving your general health and experience of the ageing process. The aesthetic appeal of a neutral posture and the different body language it creates can do wonders for confidence too. I'm finding that it greatly helps with the way I've been trying to be more assertive and less self-conscious. Nobody takes skinny, round-shouldered, crane-necked people seriously. Your posture is really a blueprint of your life so far, and if you're after a fresh start, then why not cleanse the body along with the mind? The real problem is finding access to the knowledge to allow yourself to do this, since you can't rely on your doctor or overpriced complementary therapist. |
|
|
|
tennis tom
USA
4749 Posts |
Posted - 06/29/2011 : 10:55:17
|
quote:
Originally posted by Javizy
...I'd like to take up running as well, but I'm going to wait until my legs are in better shape.
...Nobody takes skinny, round-shouldered, crane-necked people seriously.
How 'bout walking or swimming?
Sounds like the description for a fashion model.
DR. SARNO'S 12 DAILY REMINDERS:
www.youtube.com/watch?v=r0dKBFwGR0g
TAKE THE HOLMES-RAHE STRESS TEST
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Holmes_and_Rahe_stress_scale
Some of my favorite excerpts from _THE DIVIDED MIND_ :
http://www.tmshelp.com/forum/topic.asp?TOPIC_ID=2605
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
"It is no measure of health to be well adjusted to a profoundly sick society." Jiddu Krishnamurti
|
|
|
| |
Topic |
|
|
|
NY Times - The best MDs are still oblivious
