Physiotherapists in Rotherham treat many different conditions including the issues profiled below.

Spinal Posture

Spinal posture can mean two main things, one being the shape and orientation of the curves in the spine and two being the angle that the whole spine is aligned to the vertical. The minimum of muscle activity occurs when the trunk is balanced directly above the pelvis and any deviation from this requires muscle activity to increase to maintain position. As the main moving muscles of the spine are orientated lengthways like the spine itself, when they contract they generate significant compression forces through the spine. Contraction of these muscles in easy standing or sitting still generates forces through the lumbar spine that are twice the body weight above the area.

In sitting it makes little difference to the degree of muscle activity whether the lumbar spine is held arched to some degree (lumbar lordosis) or flexed (bent), the key point is whether the spine is vertically aligned or not. So leaning back with a lordosis or forwards with a flexed spine both generate high muscle forces, whilst sitting upright in either posture does not. Sitting positions all flex the lumbar spine, with the lower two lumbar levels being significantly flexed in these postures, even to the maximum of their movement.

Damage To The Spine By Bending Forward

Injuries sustained in bending occur when the forces involved exceed the coping capacity of the tissues of the spinal structures. The movements of the lumbar spinal bones in a living person undergoing a rapid forward bend are controlled mostly by the strength and length of the disc and ligamentous tissues. Initial damage occurs to the more superficial ligaments which connect the spines of the individual vertebrae posteriorly and if some side bending or twisting motion is added then the capsules of the facet joints can be stretched to their limits. The rear part of the disc wall may act like a ligament in extreme bend, restricting further bending.

In slower bending where a position is held for a time the resistance of the spinal tissues to bending decreases, allowing greater movements between the vertebrae and a slow change in the internal disc alignment. Due to the mechanical properties of the tissues quick movements have an increased likelihood of damaging the ligaments and discs, while holding the spine in flexion for some time may both reduce the protection activity of the back muscles and the ability of the ligaments to protect the lumbar segments as they move.