Many other cultures, especially non-Western, have a much lower prevalence of back pain and spinal arthritis. What’s more surprising is that the peoples of these cultures often do a tremendous amount of bending and lifting. So, how is this possible?
Bending Correctly
In most parts of the unindustrialized world, people have learned to bend correctly. Some have labeled this “table bending” or “hip hinging.” In short, people bend with their backs straight and all the motion in their hips. For example, one tribe located in central India reported that back pain is at an extremely low level. Their backs show minimal signs of degeneration as their people continue to age.
Westernized Culture
Our hips are a “ball and socket” joint created well for motion and load bearing. The hips can handle this motion fairly well. On the other hand, our spine joints are composed differently. There’s the disc in the front and two facet joints in the back. Neither is “ball and socket.” The spine joints are capable of supporting our body weight but not great at supporting the additional weight with lifting or repetitive bending. In our Westernized culture, we tend to bend through the low back or lumbar spine, and overly stress this discs and facet joints. Improper posture is an everyday occurrence in the Western culture, and because this is so common, people don’t notice that they are experiencing back pain.
Our hips are a “ball and socket” joint created well for motion and load bearing. The hips can handle this motion fairly well. On the other hand, our spine joints are composed differently. There’s the disc in the front and two facet joints in the back. Neither is “ball and socket.”
In these other cultures, the bending through the hips spares the spine and in fact builds a stronger core of low back and abdominal muscles. They also do a better job of engaging the leg muscles. Table bending or hip hinging has not been formally studied in relation to back pain or injury.
At Rocky Mountain Brain & Spine Institute, we can help determine the cause of your neck and back pain. Call us today to schedule a consultation with our surgeon.