05/06/2020
Connecting the Dots about Back Pain
I know the incidence of people suffering from severe back pain is on the rise. The statistics support this statement and are increasing everyday, but today the evidence was right in front of me. Within the space of 3 minutes of checking my social media feeds, I read about two separate persons who are experiencing immobilizing back pain and were desperate for relief as they could not function normally, look after their kids or engage in their daily activities.
Think about that, or maybe you’ve experienced that yourself, like a time when you couldn’t move without pain and were unable to engage with your life as you know it.
So the part that got to me was not the back pain so much but the way they were reacting to their back pain. Understandably in both instances the direct source of action was to obtain medical consultation for pain prescriptions and/or for chiropractic adjustment.
But are you aware, lurking in the background, there is a repeat performance waiting to happen. The medication and adjustments are more often than not a temporary short term fix to get us through a crisis. Ask yourself; do I know how this chronic condition evolved to become debilitating? Is is lack of movement, too much sitting, poor sitting posture, repetitive pounding of running with a faulty gait, misalignment of the spine in general, an accident that was not properly rehabilitated or a combination of any of the above often with one issue provocating another.
If you’re still reading this, congratulations. I know, I’m not a big fan of reading either, it’s more stimulating to look at videos. But It may be possible you are ready for a deeper dive. It’s that moment right there when you realize your search for escape from pain is the missed opportunity to understand how you may be the creator of your own pain. The fact is you are not the innocent victim of your pain crisis but in fact you have been developing this chronic issue for a long time, maybe even for decades. You see, we have a tendency to override our body messages, thinking we just need to tolerate a persistent ache but often times eventually this ignored message will get your attention in the end in the form of a full blown incident. Understand and connect the dots that we co-created that outcome. This puts you back in the driver’s seat to make better decisions and take responsibility for your daily moment to moment choices.
See this is a huge topic that could go on and on. The bottom line is you and your power over your daily lifestyle choices. But in the meantime, right now I understand you are in pain and I have a beautiful, healthy solution.
Go to the water, the deep water where you cannot touch the bottom. If you can get into the ocean on a calm day, you need no equipment as the salt content is buoyant enough to support most bodies. If you are tense, you will be stiff and heavier so will need a belt or vest.
Here in Cayman Islands we have the most restorative healing element right at our doorstep.
Organize yourself to hang vertically in the deep water imagining your spine in a long vertical line and your legs continuing down in the same line. Often the legs will float forward or backward and this indicates an imbalance in the flexor and extensor muscles that support the spine. Use your core (trunk and stomach ) muscles to control the floating up of the legs. Legs stay straight down, body in one line. This is important and starts to address the muscle imbalance that likely got you into pain in the first place. Stay in the vertical alignment and let the body hang. Then add shaking. Shake one leg for a whole minute. Then the other leg for another whole minute. Then shake both legs for a minute.
The hanging creates a natural traction and allows compressed vertebrae to gently realign and gently decompress. This is restorative and gentle as there is very little weight on your vertebrae and even gravity on your skeleton is reduced by 80%. This is a huge relief, so much so that your body likely will have no pain.
The shaking relaxes your muscles, particularly the chronically tight muscles and stimulates the circulation of blood to all muscles. Also, the hydrostatic pressure of the water stimulates lymph circulation which is your body’s garbage removal system.
The hanging and shaking combined is your prescription for homeopathic wholistic instant pain relief - this is the first exercise. Get into the water 3 times a day if possible and just hang. If you are in pain, you will have motivation to do this.
This is my specialty. Most clients find me when they are in pain and at the end of the line. Their choices at that point in time are pain management through prescription, often with the risk of pain medication addiction, surgery which has no guarantees, or a deep water conditioning program. The Conditioning program based on the BURDENKO Method combines water and land exercises to work on pain free range of motion, correcting the body alignment and balancing the strength and flexibility of the muscles. The qualities of balance, coordination, flexibility, endurance, strength and speed will, with time and practice (lifestyle) get you into progressively better physical, physiological, mental, emotional and spiritual shape. There are no adverse side effects. Writing this blog is way more exhausting that a one hour BURDENKO workout! I’ve been sitting here on my butt, talking to you two with the back pain when I’d rather be in the ocean. Now you know why I’m quiet in this space. The proof is in the actions, the words are my attempt to reach, empower and educate you.
If now now, then when?
