A curved column!

“'When I lie on my back, I do my best to flatten it on the mattress'; “'I have a problem with my lower back because it is arched even though my instructor tells me it should be flat'”; “'On the x-ray of my neck, I saw that it was concave backwards, my mother told me that it is very bad''. This is the kind of statement that I hear very often in my office, especially during the first consultation.

It is very common to hear that the back must be STRAIGHT! Indeed, one of the greatest myths perpetuated throughout the world of sport or through cultural notions transmitted is that the lower back must be flat to avoid pain.

GUESS WHAT?

Le dos must be bent! But not in just any way, of course. Our spine is made naturally series of curvatures. They are called “Lordosis” at the lumbar and cervical level, and “kyphosis” at the thoracic level. The major function of these curvatures is in fact the absorption of shocks like a spring. The erasure of these curves, the famous flat lower back, or the spine of the soldier in attention is what is most problematic! And not just locally!

The spine is indeed a single functional unit made up of 33 vertebrae, the last 8 of which are fused at the level of the Sacrum and the Coccyx. The divisions of the regions of the column are purely "anatomical". That is to say, to better orient ourselves, we decided to divide them into more or less similar sections. This is to say that the change of a curvature at a level will invariably affect all the rest of the spine. Practically, a flattening of the lower back will also flatten the neck, and so it is really common to complain of neck pain, but "'it started in the lower back 2 months ago'" or " 'My neck has been hurting for a few weeks, but my lower back has been sore for so long that I've gotten used to it'.

 

SO WHAT TO DO?

A postural evaluation in physiotherapy will detect local problems generating pain, but also will study the body as a whole to repair source of the problem. So after this evaluation, I set out a plan of maneuvers and physiotherapy acts aimed at eliminating local pain and correcting the causal factor.

You have doubts, consult as soon as possible before the installation of chronic pain. An evaluation will update the various problems, and the curative treatment and preventive will ensure healthy function of your entire spine!