Whether you are training others or yourself, it pays to understand the stresses and strains different activities put on the body.
Having worked with elite athletes at Saracens, Fulham FC and Manchester United FC, the consequences of high training loads become visible at earlier ages than you might expect. Whether you play at Old Trafford on £100,000 a week or at five-a-side twice a week, it matters to know how to take care of yourself.
What the spine actually does
Low back pain is a common complaint in sporting and non-sporting people alike. The spine is designed to provide stability and mobility. When the balance is altered, problems follow.
Stability is provided by the muscles and strong ligaments running along all aspects of the spine. The discs between the vertebrae provide shock absorption when walking or running. The bony orientation of the vertebrae also allows for mobility. Working together, those structures should give a back that is both solid and flexible.
Too much mobility, too little mobility
People who are excessively mobile are at as much risk of back pain as people who lack mobility. Osteopathy helps with both ends:
- Where there is lack of mobility, soft-tissue work, deep tissue massage and specific joint manipulation where appropriate can markedly improve movement and reduce pain.
- Where there is excessive mobility, the priority is to target and strengthen weak muscles with exercise and rehabilitation, and to mobilise the segments above and below that may be loading the over-mobile area. This is what we generally mean by "core stability".