Spine Health and Awareness Part. 2

In our previous blog ‘TSTM monthly challenge: spine awareness’ we discussed some of the main functions of the spine from a movement perspective and common problems associated with them as seen with the general population. We then explored how we address spinal health from a movement perspective with health and longevity in mind. Using the cat/ cow segmentation exercise for you to self-assess, self-manage and begin to regain control of your spine.

If you have begun the practice you most likely found the process to be challenging and tedious to say the least. In this blog I will share some more exercises to help you develop the practice. but first i wanted to bring you in on a personal reflection of mine when it comes to spinal health and another reason why being able to control all movable joints of the spine is important to me.

I find that in the mainstream fitness industry, when it comes to training the spine, most individuals that train or are being trained spend a lot of time performing movements that focus on maintaining static postures for the spine, especially the core and trunk region. Loaded squats, deadlifts, pushups, lunges, planks and back extensions to name a few. In many sports being able to solidify the core and trunk region at the right moment can massively help force production from the rest of the body. And while the application of maintaining static posture in these movements is very important to protect the spine from injury, the issue is that very few individuals do much to compliment static spinal training with conscious motion. If the majority of us had active lifestyles which allowed us to maintain a mobile spine I wouldn't see this as a big problem, unfortunately that is not the case. For most individuals lifestyle & mundane activities already involve plenty of time keeping the spine relatively immobile such as sitting, whether it be at work, in school, in the car or on the sofa. In my opinion to then further train the spine to be static in the training environment is promoting an imbalance towards spinal immobility. In the long term this may lead to physical discomfort and injuries. 

The missing link in relation to spine health starts to become a little more clear now I hope. Simply put we could ask ourselves what our spine was designed to do? What are we doing/ not doing with our spine? And how can we compensate to bring a sense of balance back?

This is why I feel a regular spine segmentation practice will benefit the majority to bring some balance to the health of their spine for the amount of time spent not moving it to its fullest potential.

So teaching and learning spinal segmentation can be difficult at first, and it is quite common at the beginning to see regions of the spine that do not segment efficiently, and excessive compensation coming from other parts of the body.

In many cases it is a matter of improving awareness and control, connecting mind and body. I find by breaking down the movement we can then set ourselves up for more success, having a bigger variety of exercises to play with can help us make improvements without losing interest ensuring we stay consistent in the practice. Here are a few exercises that I have found to have given me the most success when working with the general population.

Cat/ Cow Segmentation in the Collapsed Quadruped

By applying positional blocks (strategies to isolate areas or create a blockage) you may find it easier as you will be able to focus on specific areas of spinal segmentation before bringing it back to a larger movement pattern such as in quadruped or standing. This should allow you to have a better understanding and awareness of how to segment. In the video I demonstrate how to create both a lumbar and thoracic block in the collapsed quadruped position.

Focus points:

Lumbar block: sitting fully back in a collapsed quadruped will pull the spine into more flexion, especially the lumbar region, this will allow you to focus on articulating from the thoracic/ lumbar region upwards. Be cautious not to compensate with the shoulder blades via protraction/ retraction during thoracic flexion/ extension.

Thoracic block: to create the block think about dragging your hands in towards you using the shoulder blades as you pull them back and down. Adding some thoracic extension will also help solidify the thoracic region. As the lumbar is already in more flexion, it will be more challenging to segment in this region.

Banded Spinal Segmentation in Collapsed Quadruped

In the video I demonstrate how you can use a band to segment particular areas of the spine, the band provides physical feedback where you want to focus on independently flexing & extending through the spine. The goal is to make movement happen only from where the band is in contact. Another reason I like to use the band in this exercise is it helps pull you into extension in the area you are focusing on which for many I have found helps improve the brains understanding = better control

This exercise can be performed anywhere along the spine, I would advise beginning where you feel most in control to gain some understanding and awareness of your movements before moving onto more challenging parts of your spine.

Thoracic Segmentation (W/ Med-Ball)

Using a ball or something similar to support your lower back allows you to focus on the thoracic (upper back) region, an area I notice many struggle to control. Again the ball is a great tool as it gives you some feedback on what part of your spine to make contact with as you lower onto the ball and peel off the ball.

So how to incorporate this into your daily spinal practice. Well if you are having a hard time dedicating 5 -10 mins a day in your busy schedule i would suggest mixing it up on the days, warm up with the cat/ cow segmentation, then play with a few of these exercises and then finish off with cat / cow segmentation. If you wish to increase your daily practice by all means follow the same procedure but simply spend more time practising. Don’t forget training should be fun and have a positive effect on our body and mind, especially when we are trying to build new healthy habits, so take what you enjoy and work with that. Again we highly recommend recording yourself so you can see how you move in comparison to what you are feeling, this will make it easier to self-manage and track your progress over time.

Feel free to get in touch with any questions or to share your journey with us, we would love to hear from you.