More pain...maybe you need more discipline?

I was at a conference with a senior clinician this weekend and ended up learning a lot.  We covered a wide variety of topics, but mostly covered back pain and how can people rid themselves of their back pains.

The answer might actually be more simple than you think...MORE DISCIPLINE! Does the guy above need to really bend his back like this to pick up the hammer?  What is the cost/benefit of bending in this way?

For most of the weekend, I watched how people moved.  Some were suffering from back pain and some claimed to be pain free.   The back pain people were easy to spot.  They were usually trying to find a way to walk or sit without pain.  The people that claimed to be pain free were a bit more challenging.  Many of them appeared to move normally, but you could see subtle things with their movement that may predict future issues!  Simple things like watching them get out of a chair, pick up a pen off the ground, or tie their shoe.  Though they may not feel any pain currently, you could predict by the quality of their movement that they would most likely have future pain.




Through some subtle observations, I realized that improved discipline with respect to QUALITY of movement can help decrease the chance of pain in the future. Of course, this is the simple answer, the more complex answer of HOW cannot be really be answered in a blog.  Probably a good reason to stop by the clinic!

Dr. Mark Malowney is a Chiropractor and Certified Strength and Conditioning Specialist in Victoria, BC.  For more information, please see www.drmchiro.com