Reduce Back Pain Through Alignment

Our bodies are remarkably complex machines, developed through thousands of years of evolution that fine-tuned our ability to move with speed, grace and endurance. The ability to move easily and without pain, and effectively to resist the strains of life, is dependent on a subtle interaction of bones, joints and muscles, in which each partner to that interaction commits to performing a specific function. When the partners perform their proper functions, then our muscles, bones and joints tend to remain healthy. When one or more partners fail to perform their designated role, however, or take on work intended for one of the other partners, our bodies begin to suffer. If this situation persists for a long time, chronic pain results.

It is our bones that bear the primary responsibility for carrying our weight. When we stand correctly, which is synonymous with feeling relaxed, flexible and mobile, our bones offer us structural support. This leaves the joints free of pressure and enables them to work as hinges. It also offers the muscles the opportunity to relax and lengthen so as to further support freedom in the joints. When our bones perform their proper function, our bodies are said to be in alignment.

When we are aligned, our bones stack up one upon the other. For example, when we stand aligned, the head rests directly on top of the spine, rather than jutting forward. If we are out of alignment, for example if our head and neck jut forward, then our neck and back muscles have to work to hold the head up. If the head sits directly over the neck and the neck sits directly on top of the rest of the spine, then the bones of the spine support the head and the neck muscles can relax. Similarly, when we are aligned, our back is straight rather than hunched or swaybacked, our shoulders, hips, knees and feet are all neatly stacked in a vertical line, and our weight is distributed evenly on both feet. Bone supports bone.

When we are not aligned, when we lean forward or back, hunch or collapse, tilt to one side, etc., this puts pressure on the joints, contributing to arthritis, disc degeneration, tearing of cartilage, and joint and membrane inflammation. In addition, muscles must now carry the weight of the body. They do this by contracting. When muscles contract too often for too long they both become chronically tight and painful, and put further pressure on bones and joints. This initiates a cycle of chronic muscle pain, joint pain, inflammation, and arthritis. Muscles are meant for movement and to maintain space between the joints. They are not meant to carry our weight. This is why misalignment--the failure of the bones to carry the weight of the bod--is a major source of chronic pain.

© 2007 Ingrid Bacci PhD All rights Reserved

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