You are hereTerm51
Term51
|
Trunk Aligning the Spine
“Stand up straight!? “Pull your shoulders back!? As children, we were told to have good posture. Yet we were seldom taught effective ways to accomplish this. Indeed, we were often not even told just what “good posture? is.
Understanding Energy & Power Kinetic energy is energy of motion. A rubber band flying through the air has kinetic energy. When you are walking or running your body is exhibiting kinetic energy. Potential energy is converted into kinetic energy. Before the yo-yo begins its fall it has stored energy due to its position. At the top it has its maximum potential energy. As it starts to fall the potential energy begins to be changed into kinetic energy. At the bottom its potential energy has been converted into kinetic energy so that it now has its maximum kinetic energy. A waterfall has both potential and kinetic energy. The water at the top of Bridal Veil Falls has stored potential energy. When the water begins to fall, its potential energy is changed into kinetic energy. This change in energy also happens at Niagara Falls where it is used to provide electricity from the transformation of mechanical and electromagnetic energy to parts of the northeastern United States.
Low Back Pain The lower back is an elegant construction of bone, muscle, and ligament. Because the lower back is the hinge between the upper and lower body, it is especially vulnerable to injury when you are lifting, reaching, or twisting. When low back pain strikes, we become acutely aware of just how much we rely on a flexible, strong back. Ironically, most of us don't think of the importance of keeping our back and stomach muscles strong until we have back trouble. See an illustration of the lower back (lumbosacral region of the spine)
Up to 85% of all people have low back pain at one time or another. Each year, about 2% of American workers are compensated for disability caused by back pain.1 Low back pain is often triggered by some combination of overuse, muscle strain, or injury to the muscles and ligaments that support the spine. Less commonly, low back pain is caused by illness or spinal deformity.
Exercise, Return to Activity Helps Back Pain By Salynn Boyles Got Back Pain? Assess Your Options Low Back Pain Shouldn't Sideline You Sign Up for the Chronic Pain Newsletter June 9, 2005 -- Low back pain is one of the most common and difficult-to-treat medical complaints among adults. Treatment often includes physical therapy, but new research shows that a hands-off educational and behavioral approach to pain management works just as well. Researchers say people in the study who suffered from short-duration low back pain responded well to counseling programs that explored their attitudes toward pain and urged them to exercise and resume routine activities despite their discomfort.
Relieving Low-Back Pain With Exercise Brian Shiple, DO; Series Editor: Nicholas A. DiNubile, MD THE PHYSICIAN AND SPORTSMEDICINE If you suffer from low-back pain, the most important part of your treatment is something only you can give yourself: exercise. Regular workouts make pain go away faster. By strengthening the muscles that support your back and improving your back's flexibility, exercise reduces the chances of another acute attack. A full program has two parts. The first component is aerobic exercise to get your whole body in good condition (aerobic exercise like walking or biking uses large muscles and gets your heart and breathing rates up). The second component is specific exercises designed to strengthen your back muscles and increase or maintain flexibility. Your doctor will tell you when to begin each type of exercise.
How to Save Your Back Always try to maintain the natural curves in your back. These curves provide strength and support for your back. This is especially important when lifting or when sitting for long periods. Hinge at your hips and bend your knees when lifting. You should be doing most of the work with your legs rather than with your back! Placing your feet shoulder-width apart will help you stay balanced. A wider stance can also help if you have difficulty bending your knees. Tighten your stomach muscles before you lift. They help support and stabilize your back when you lift.
Ergo Rule Number One: Good Posture and Back Support It may sound like a cliche, but remember what your parents told you: Don't slouch. "If you're slouching, that puts stress on your lower back, you overuse those muscles and then you become fatigued and have soreness and discomfort," says Charles Kopin, ergonomic specialist for Industrial Health Care in Waterbury, Conn. Your head should be directly over your shoulders, back should be straight and resting against the chair back (ideally with support in the lower curve of the back, or lumbar), knees should be slightly higher than the hips, and feet should be able to rest on the floor. "That (posture) gives the spine a tremendous amount of strength," says Scott Bautch, chiropractor in Wausau, Wisc. "It keeps the pressure on the bony part of the spine, which is meant to carry weight, and keeps it off the disc," which can only take pressure for short intervals, he says.
Think Twice before Back Pain Surgery Updated: 10:38 a.m. ET May 23, 2005 LONDON - Surgery to relieve chronic lower back pain is no better than intensive rehabilitation and nearly twice as expensive, researchers said on Monday. advertisement Researchers at the Nuffield Orthopedic Center in Oxford, England found little difference when they compared the effects of surgery with rehabilitation on nearly 350 sufferers. “This is strong evidence that intensive rehabilitation is a good thing to do for people with chronic back pain who are thinking of having about having operations,? said Jeremy Fairbank, an orthopedic surgeon at the center.
Efficacy of Ergonomics Historically, Ergonomics was another name for Human Factors. Today, Ergonomics commonly refers to designing work environments for maximizing safety and efficiency. Biometrics and Anthropometrics play a key role in this use of the word Ergonomics. Engineering Psychology often has a specialty dealing with Workplace or Occupational Ergonomics. Companies once thought that there was a bottom-line tradeoff between safety and efficiency. Now they embrace ergonomics because they have learned that designing a safe work environment can also result in greater efficiency and productivity. Recently, U.S. laws requiring a safe work environment have stimulated great interest in Workplace Ergonomics - from ergonomic furniture to ergonomic training. But it is in the design of the workplace as a whole where the greatest impact can be seen for both safety and efficiency.
Core Stability Although the world's top golfers rely on an indefinable combination of concentration, physical endurance, skill and consistency to remain at the top of their game, the application of strength and conditioning know-how in the area of core stability is beginning to make an impact in the sport... The functional result of good core stability is that when an athlete is performing sporting movement or technique, they are able to maintain the correct posture and alignment, particularly in the lumber spine and pelvic area - key areas in any golf swing.
By maintaining correct posture and alignment, the athlete should have better technique. In a sport like diving, or gymnastics which is dependent to an extent on aesthetics, an athlete would look more controlled. In a running event, enhanced core stability would mean that an athlete would be able to apply force more efficiently, while also helping to reduce the risk of any injury. |
