Trends in fitness swing violently. Call it a compulsive need for consensus or just a need for a one size fits all solution, but we need to be label something as ‘works’, ‘pointless’, ‘that will destroy you’ or ‘how are you not doing this’.
Bending and straightening your spine is one such topic.
Is it safe to bend and straighten your spine?
It depends on who you ask.
And of course it comes down to the client and their comfort and tolerance for a specific pattern.
Pain and tolerance for movement is an incredibly complex topic. Every person has a different way to communicate and gauge their pain.
People also have different ways of dealing with pain. This directly impacts how much they want to move and what they’re willing to try to alleviate the pain.
We know some amount of movement and loading is crucial for an injured area to recover effectively. The same movement and loading is necessary to improve mobility, instability and stiffness that are outcomes of being inactive for long periods of time.
Not moving a joint through the full range it is capable of travelling through with a semblance of control and stability will compromise the joint’s capacity to execute that movement with time.
That brings me to your ability to bend and straighten your back. Every person is capable of this to varying degrees. Practice helps. Gradual increases in range and load seem to be the key. Doing too much too soon IS NOT NECESSARY OR IDEAL.
And it helps to have the right tools to practice the pattern. Between maintaining tension in positions and actively moving through range, using a variety of exercises and tools works well.
Takeaway
When in pain, find medical professionals who actively work towards helping you move again.
When exiting long bouts of hibernation and inactivity, dose yourself appropriately.
If you are someone who enjoys one form of activity, dosing yourself with a variety of movement and being systematic about moving every joint in the body is is the most pragmatic and useful thing you can do.