Proper body mechanics and a strong back is the key to preventing lower back injuries. Stretching and abdominal exercises can help your back if performed with common sense. As a firefighter, you have many demands and stresses that are placed on you at an instant. Most of the firefighters that leave the field are due to disability from a back injury. A healthy back is the key to your livelihood. More than 80 percent of all Americans will experience some sort of back problem at some point in their lifetime. These problems could be congenital and others may be from the result of an automobile accident, a fall, sports injury, or early childhood trauma. Usually, these types of cases present with pain that will subside and then reappear years later. A great portion of back problems are simply due to tension and muscular tightness, which come from poor posture, inactivity, being overweight, stress and lack of abdominal strength.

I'm going to discuss how to maintain a strong and healthy back to decrease your chances for injury. Body mechanics, or the way you move your spine is important. Spinal biomechanics will contribute to the stresses that are placed on your lower back. A normal lumbar curvature or lordosis is 35 degrees, with the normal cervical lordosis being 45 degrees. These two curvatures play a vital role in normal spinal biomechanics. If there is a lessening of either of these curves a greater amount of stress is going to be placed on the entire spine. Depending on where and how much curvature is lost will determine where the stress will be increased. The changes in spinal biomechanics are related to physical stresses, posture habits, sleeping positions, and injuries to name a few.

Tone or conditioned pelvic girdle muscles also play a vital role in the stability of the lower back. The muscles involved are the abdominal, hamstring, quadriceps, gluteal and lower back muscles. These muscles need to be of equal length and tone on both sides. If there is an imbalance, this can cause pelvic rotation of the ilium and sacrum. When this occurs, the 5th lumbar will compensate and cause a vertebral subluxation (a spinal bone out of normal position or lacking normal movement causing nerve irritation or interference). When this occurs, there is an increase in mechanical stress placed on the lumbar spine. If this is present of a long period of time, spinal degeneration will be accelerated. Thus, abnormal spinal biomechanics and weak or imbalanced muscles can lead to accelerated spinal degeneration caused from vertebral subluxations.

If you are currently experiencing lower back, neck or mild back pain or if you have a history of back problems, you should see a Doctor of Chiropractic. The Doctor of Chiropractic will then be able to tell you what is necessary to correct your problem and be able to give you unspecific exercises or stretches to aide in your correction. Pain should not be ignored; it is a warning signal from your body. Like a fire alarm, it tells you there is a problem that needs to be addressed. Taking aspirin or any other pain-killing drugs is just masking the real problem. As a firefighter you would not go into a burning where the fire alarm siren is blasting away and smash the alarm with an ax, and then walk away and let the fire continue to burn. This is the same thing as taking drugs to cover up the pain. The longer a problem is ignored, the more difficult it is to make a long-term correction. Seek professional help from a Doctor of Chiropractic and do not keep ignoring the alarm.

Click on photo to download and print Back Care Exercise Chart

 

Back Care and Posture Do's and Don'ts:

1. Never lift anything with your legs straight. Always bend your knees when lifting. Keep the weight as close to your body and your back as straight as possible. Always lift the object straight up in front of your body. Do not bend and twist as you lift. The twisting or rotation of the lumbar spine while bending and lifting causes the greatest amount of stress on the lower back and increases the pressure placed on the intervertebral disc. An injury that occurs while bending and lifting has a greater likelihood of injuring the disc.

2. When standing for prolonged periods, your knees should be bent slightly, with the toes and feet pointed straight ahead. If possible, when standing for a prolonged period of time, place one foot up on a short stool or pedestal. This will take a greater amount of stress off of the lower back than bending the knees. Never stand with the knees locked back in full extension.

3. Proper sleeping surface is very important for the health of your spine and for total body rest and rejuvenation. Just having a firm mattress is not always good. If firmness was the only good thing we would all sleep in the floor. A mattress that gives proper support and allows for good circulation without developing any pressure points is the key. We spend 1/3 of our lifetime in bed, so it is very important to have a good sleeping system. If you are interested, I know of a mattress and bed store in Fullerton that will build you a custom bed. Call me for the information. The best position to sleep is on your back with a small pillow under your knees. This allows for the best circulation to oxygenate the tissues and places the least amount of stress and tension on the spine. The next best sleeping position is on your left side with both legs drawn up or with a pillow under the top leg. This will support the leg so there is not any twisting or rotation of the lower back.

4. When getting out of bed, lay on your side and let your feet and legs hang over the edge of the mattress. From this position, if you were lying on the right side, use the left arm or up side arm to push you up into a sitting position. This is the best way to get out of bed. Never lay on your back and sit up into a sitting position. This can cause pulling in the lower back and may cause injury.

5. When getting out of a chair, always have one foot in front of the other when rising. Slide you buttocks toward the edge and then with your back vertical use your legs to stand straight up and also use your arms to assist you in raising your body. 6. Always sit with your shoulders back, head up and chin slightly in. Tighten your abdominal muscles while sitting as to flatten the lower back against the chair. Do this while driving or any sitting to take the pressure off the lower back.
In addition to the above stretches, abdominal strengthening should be performed. Ab curls are a simple exercise. They are performed by lying on your back with arms crossed over your chest, and legs bent at the knees. From this position, lift the upper body in a curling fashion to just slightly elevate the shoulder blades off the floor, and hold for 1-3 seconds. The number of repetitions is determined by feeling a burning sensation in the abdominal muscles. Perform these ab curls daily.

We all pay for our health one way or the other. We have the choice in our early years to eat properly, exercise, and participate in other health related or enhancing measures. On the other hand, we can ignore our bodies desire to be healthy when we are young and pay for it in our later years. This ignorance can lead to costly medical, surgical, and/or hospital bills. I think the choice is clear!! Live a healthy life today, in order to have a life of health TOMORROW!!
As I stated, there needs to be an equal balance of the muscles that support the lower back and pelvic region. This is done not only by exercise but also regular stretching of this region. Below are stretches that I recommend to my patients who are free of any back pain.

If you have any questions or comments in regard to this article you may call or write to:
Robert S. Renfro, D.C.
206 N. Euclid St.
Fullerton, CA 92832
(714) 526-9355