Have you heard:

“Don’t bend your back”, “Stand up straight”, “Stop slouching over”, “I have a bulging disc, I don’t want to bend”

Well today’s current evidence is showing that bending your back when lifting or moving on a daily basis is actually very healthy for your spine and discs. There is no strong scientific evidence that shows that bending your back will cause damage to your spine or to your discs.

But I feel pain when I bend, aren’t I harming my back?

Pain does not equal harm. Look at pain like a smoke detector. It is there to let you know that something is going on, however, doesn’t mean that you are damaging or harming your body. Pain is influence by a lot of factors such as your physical, mental and social health. It is important to speak to your therapist who can thoroughly examine what triggers and causes are contributing to your pain. It is safe to keep moving within TOLERABLE levels of pain and will actually help you recover faster.

It is important to explore painful movements rather than avoid them.

When people have pain they naturally avoid whatever the painful movement is. It is important to not avoid any movements but to modify your movement if need be to keep you moving as much as possible within your pain tolerations. See a physiotherapist to get assessed and treated for the cause of your pain and to keep you moving as much as you can.