Healthier Carrying - Get Free Ab Exercise and Stop Pain
Do you overly arch your lower back when you carry things in front of you, as in the photo at left? Arching your lower back and leaning back to carry anterior loads is common source of pressure and loading on your lower back, whether you are carrying a dog, a chair, a baby in arms, a child on your hip, packages, or grocery bags. It is the same contributor to the mystery back pain from carrying backpacks, explained in the previous post, and after long standing, walking, and running explained in Fixing the Commonest Source of Mystery Lower Back Pain.
Look at the photo, at left. The upper arrow shows how her upper body is tilting backward instead of being straight and upright from mid-hip to shoulder. The lower arrow shows how the hip is tilting forward in front and sticking out in back, instead of being vertical from mid-hip to the top of the leg bone. Between the two arrows, her lower back is overly arched and pinched.
Leaning back to hold something in front of you is common during common reaching and carrying around the house and while exercising. Leaning back offsets the weight and makes things easier to carry. The reason it is easier is that you shift the weight from your arm and torso muscles onto your lower back. This squashes your lower back under the weight of your upper body and the things you carry. It is a common source of lower back pain that keeps coming back, even after pills and treatments. The reason the pain keeps coming back is that you haven't stopped the cause.
To stop the back pain when carrying anterior loads:
- Just stop the unhealthy overarching.
- Stand straight to carry loads, whether in front of you or in back, as described in the previous post and If Better Abdominal Muscles Are Your New Year's Resolution, Try This.
The muscles that straighten your spine are your abdominal muscles. You will get exercise for your abdominal and back muscles in the way they are supposed to work for real life. Standing without overarching the lower back when carrying things, whether in front or back, is better, healthier, and more functional exercise than lying on the floor and rounding your back to do crunches.
Use the arch-reducing technique in this post for a healthier back and built-in back and abdominal muscle exercise all the time during everything you do.
Photo by subscription to Clipart.com
Labels: abdominal muscles, arm, fix pain, lordosis, lower back, posture, upper back
2 Comments:
At Sunday, January 14, 2007 10:56:00 PM,
Cynthia, UCDavis said…
This finally clicked in my head. I know you posted on arching before, but I thought it didn't have anything to do with me. I just kept going to the doctors ciropracters masage and acupuncture and doing back exercises all the time for my backpain. They said it was just the way my body was. Then i saw my reflection in a store window while walking and I was doing that arch. First I leaned forward to fix it. Then saw what you mean by stay standing straight but tuck the bum under. The pain stopped right there.
Her head is bad too isn't it? Now I see what you are saying everywhere. No wonder everyone has pain. Not me anymore.
At Friday, January 19, 2007 10:33:00 AM,
Ivy G - New Zealand said…
Like Cythia, I too, had many years of visting chiropractors and the like - the pain relief was temporary only. I have been free of pain for over a year now due to the help and advice from Dr Jolie. Keep up the good work Cynthia and remember it is a life time committment.
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