Lumo lift

Am i a fan of http://www.lumobodytech.com/ ?
Hmm, I need to think about this.
The proposition seems logical. A system that “knows” when you are holding  a static “correct posture”and holds you to it.
I think my only reservation is the idea that there is a correct  static posture. Certainly you need a stiff core, but your position when seated,  is best often  changed  ( see some of the observations by McGill).
But, if it  reduced your slouching by  say  15 minutes a day , and encouraged you to learn a bit more about your posture, and improved your general back hygiene,  the £80 seems totally worth it.
But, It could fall into the Standing desk error. There are very few safe static postures!  if you work at a desk, rotate between kneeling, sitting, sitting side on, standing ,holding a lunge.
I suspect , having tested a similar system ( the computer’s camera kept your head in a frame) that its  possible to get a “good reading” in as much as you haven’t “tipped” the sensor, but, you have  actually collapsed your back.
Ill try and test that out with this product.

Support your back 

Support your back  
Less of this
 
more of this
  
Employing a lunge strategy and transfering load to your legs by the use of arm support is highly validated to be good for back health. Think about your day to day  back hygiene 

Sleep 

do not over look the connection between sleep , stress and back pain . If you get too tired , you stop paying attention to your form. Stess has to express itself too

Pelvic tilting

I thought this was a very interesting reflection by bret Contreras on the issue of pelvic tilting in certain exercises
Click here
the only thing id add is that i feel the  Mcgill and Verkoshansky V  Mel Siff . is   a bit contrived. I think they deal with different types of people with different out puts.
“The pelvis plays a vital role in the ability of the athlete to produce strength efficiently and safely, because it is the major link between the spinal column and the lower extremities… a neutral pelvic tilt offers the least stressful position for sitting, standing and walking. It is only when a load (or bodymass) is lifted or resisted that other types of pelvic tilt become necessary. Even then, only sufficient tilt is used to prevent excessive spinal flexion or extension… The posterior pelvic tilt is the appropriate pelvic rotation for sit-ups or lifting objects above waist level. Conversely… the anterior pelvic tilt is the correct pelvic rotation for squatting [and] lifting heavy loads off the floor. – Supertraining 2009 (Hat tip to Pavel Tsatsouline for finding this quote)”
Bret believes this: “I’ve learned much of my spinal biomechanics knowledge from Stu and highly respect him. In this case, I feel that some slight pelvic tilt can help buttress the spine by creating torque in the necessary direction in order to help stabilize the spine and prevent buckling. However, the pelvic tilt isn’t to end-range so it doesn’t dramatically impact spinal posture, but rather keeps it in check”
The difference in the opinion is probably a matter of perspective  and  objective. McGills observation ( and I’m a Mcgill fan) is that bad backs are correlated with poor back control and use. back pain is the result of years of systematic abuse. His battle is to get clients to learn or relearn back positions.
Verkoshansky and Mel Siff are not trying to cure your bad back, they are trying to get you to lift more. For  advanced athletes who do not suffer back pain, their approach is great.
For people who do suffer back pain, getting an effective general purpose  healthy motor pattern is far more important.

MindWod

We are probably going to change the name within a few months, but, for now, look out for the daily MWOD’s or Mind Workouts of the Day.
At the Backaholic programme  we are excellent physical trainers:  our expertise, programming and experience combined with  your commitment  hard work often means we can deal with back pain.
We are always looking to improving our coaching techniques and training methods, so our trainers continue their ongoing education, to keep up to date, to spot new effective training ideas  to ensure we offer the best service  in London and to be true to their  personal values of being the best   back fixers  around
However, Many of our  trainers have reported that often the physical targets set by you are undermined by peripheral factors : lack of sleep, poor diet,  negativity,  disrupted attitudes,  undermining self talk, a lack of belief, being too  self critical  perfectionist thinking and, sometimes  a lack of spirit
The reality is that if you look for the bad in everything,  you come training under an emotional cloud.
Negativity  effects everything you do.
Many of our clients, in their professional lives are paid to critically appraise business processes: political movements, accounts and marketing strategies.  Improvements,  after all,  can only be made by identifying where  improvements can be made.
You can see  an opportunity to improve your techniques, strength mobility as  fantastic  and useful challenge, or you can obsess about how poor your technique is , how poor your mobility is and how weak you are.
Negative thinking escalates and undermines everything.
Being aware of where you need to improve and  having a positive plan with  the ability to break things down, to understanding and cope with failure and be positive,  is the “secret” of successful people. This obviously relates to how you think about things, your attitudes, who you hangout with and whether the team that surrounds you helps or hinders you.
All these ideas and more will  explore on a daily, bit sized basis. Sometimes it will be simple reflections, other times considering the words of the wise,  often simple review tasks. Wait and see. What and how we cover these topics will change over the months but hopefully we will be able to wrestle  some of the cooler techniques away from the tree hugging hippies!
For today some lines from Satoru Izumi’s book ” Guidelines of Faith”
“fundamentally, everyone wants to be happy. The key to attaining happiness lies in whether we can overcome the negative influences of our environment or whether we will be defeated by them. Think of seeds,  the harder it is trodden under , the stouter  the seedling that grows… this holds true with human development… each of us has the seed of happiness. It is covered with the “earth”of various  problems which motivate us”

There is a lot to be said for losing weight!

The body mass index is a little clunky as a measure, but for those with knee and back problem, it should  be your 1st port of call.  Do you have  a healthy Body mass index?
click here and check
If not and you are  active, think on this. “Active” normally means 10,000 steps a day. If you are 10kg over weight  thats  10 x10,0000 that 100,000 kilos extra than your body  expected  . Weightlifters brace and prepare!
If you are inactive and slumping in your chair thats a lot of deadweight pressing on knackered  back and bum muscles.
“Dude, loose some weight!”
If you  have an ok weight, well thats ok. Go you. Thats not the problem!
i

Spinal surgery and complications……..

Im not a spinal surgery fan but it was comforting to read
 Anterior Lumbar Spine Surgery: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis of Associated Complications
According to the report “complication rates with anterior lumbar spine surgery are relatively low, with the most common complications occurring at a rate of 1-3%. Complication rates are related to surgical technique, approach, and implant characteristics. Further randomized controlled trails are needed to validate the use of preventative measures including CTA and the use of an access surgeon”
Still tough on the 1-3% though!

Always remember you are "just" a fitness Instructor or a "mere" therapists

I treat a lot of backs with a mixture of appropriate mobility, core strengthening, Back hygiene emphasis, improving the aerobic capacity of Backs, breathing, positive thinking, pain control…. blah blah
I have a lot of clients and suggest methods to fellow trainers. I am however not a doctor. I  do talk to a lot of spinal surgeons, back researchers, GP’s and others with interests in “LBP”.
I frequently argue points with them. I don’t, however, ignore them. I do not believe myself to be superior to them. I do often see that we frame our thought processes: we automatically put  limitations to our evaluation  of the client. Evaluating the client is key.
You must listen to them, and watch how they move. If someone ends up in a surgeon’s office, they should do the same. Is there a saying along the lines that, if all you have is a hammer, every problem presents itself as a nail.
So 2 points,
1) if you are a one trick pony (” “stretching is the answer,” “cutting you open is the answer”) do  try and consider other options (if you cannot  nail some metal to  someones spine  in less than 8 weeks, why not  suggest  a therapy in the meantime. It could work!
2) As a fitness Instructor or “PT”  remember your place: every back client should   seen their doctor 1st. You  and they need to screen for “red flags” . Also, ask questions.  If  for example, someone comes in with a weaker leg maybe its something more serious.
A  report that appeared in the Spine  “Primary extraosseous Ewing’s sarcoma of the lumbar spine presenting with left leg weakness” is an interesting point according to this report
“A 7-year-old boy presented to the neurosurgery clinic with left leg weakness. Enhanced multi detector computed tomography (MDCT) and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) were performed. MDCT images revealed a mass with minimal contrast enhancement that extended into the left L3-4 foramen and psoas muscle (figure 1). MRI images revealed a mass that was isointense on T1 weighted (T1W) images and hyperintense on T2- weighted (T2W) images compared with muscle (figure 2,3), with homogenous enhancement after contrast administration (figure 2,3), consistent with a nerve sheath tumors
In short, work with doctors, suggest and help BUT don’t tell clients to avoid them ( don’t make the pester them either)

Evaluating the Schroth Method

Once you start looking at the whole area of scoliosis and  conditions like Scheuermann’s disease you inevitably end up  reviewing the work of  Christa Lehnert-schroth and her  “Three-dimensional Treatment for Scoliosis”
Over the next few months we will evaluate and practice some of the aspects of this  method and look at the 3 segment concept , scoliotic breathing patterns. We might as well throw in sun and air now!
Exercise out doors whenever possible. “Many people need clean living air, more than nutrition.  Next to natural nutrition, air, light and sun are the best physiological means to stimulate  and increase the  body’s defences” (Bottomberg).  As someone who trains in a railway arch in East London I would endorse fresh air wouldn’t I!