TAKE YOUR "BACK" TO SCHOOL!

With the school year beginning next week...after a restful summer…..we will be back to a more structured routine!! The trains will be busy with school kids being part of the rush hour commute.

Every year for the past decade, I have observed school kids carrying heavy loads...totally unaware of their posture. As a Spine Specialist, I naturally notice poor posture in others and I must say adults are just as unaware of their posture.

Our sitting world places undue stress on the spine if we are not aware of “ WHERE OUR BODIES ARE IN SPACE”.  Leading unsurprisingly to all sorts of aches, pains, and complaints of back stiffness.

I have coined 3 words to describe the spinal positions:

•   Hammock Spine: this is when we slouch curving our spine to its limit ---that it resembles the shape of a hammock. All structures are being pulled and stretched up to their end point resulting in weakness and loss of stability. E.g. slouched on the couch sound familiar!!!

•  Swagger Spine: this is when the spine sways laterally and does all the work while the rest of the body comes along for the ride. E.g. Walking with packages and doodling sideways

•   Pencil Spine: this is when the spine is so straight and rigid that any movement seems impossible.  E.g. Turning and twisting to look behind is a total body effort

 I’m sure you can identify where you fall in this spectrum. 

If we are all busy doing yoga, pilates, cross fit and gym workouts --- why then does our super strong core still cause low back pain?  The answer is in our individual lack of postural awareness; and this is where the expertise of a skilled PT with a keen sense of observation is invaluable.

Static and dynamic posture determine spinal health…so why not put your “ BACK TO SCHOOL”. Let us teach you how to enhance spinal mobility, spinal strength and spinal wellness.

Duffy and Bracken has partnered with Intelliskin (a performance apparel company) to help build the bridge for patients who struggle with back pain due to years of poor posture. Our postural assessments consist of a total spine evaluation and assessment, corrective exercises and clothing advice to help maintain good spinal posture. 

Contact us today for more information. Isn’t it time that we adults took our BACK to School ---to improve our quality of life!

Renuka Pinto, MPT, PGDR, CSCS, CES

Renuka@duffyandbracken.com