Active Life March Newsletter
What’s so special about our March special? Twenty-five percent discount off all nutritional supplements! There will be even steeper discounts on select products. Stock up today!
“Give me a lever long enough and a place to stand and I could lift the entire earth.”…says the Greek scientist, Archimedes. When you remember that a lever has potential for being helpful or hurtful, you can modify your activities to prevent injury. The idea is that the length of the lever helps reduce the effort it takes to lift the weight you are attempting to lift. The key to this lever action is called the fulcrum, which is the place that the lever pivots on. Understanding this is realizing there is a strain put on the fulcrum, because it is the place upon where the lever is propped up or pushed against to lift the object. If you think about this principle as it relates to exercising, you can use it to figure out what actions are harder on your bones and joints.
Following are three classes of levers. A lever is a simple machine, consisting of a solid long ‘bar’ and a fulcrum.
Class 1 has the load on one side of the fulcrum and the force to lift the load on the opposite side of the fulcrum, similar to a teeter totter. Remember how a teeter totter can accommodate different weights of children by moving the heavier child closer to the middle (the fulcrum)? Using this principle, you can lift something that is heavier at one end by finding that balance point. When you consider your legs to be two ends of a teeter totter and your pelvis is the fulcrum, this helps you understand that if one foot is heavier (has a cast on it) the action of walking puts a strain on the pelvis and you will feel the most discomfort in the low back.
Class 2 has the load and the effort to lift the load both on the same side as the fulcrum. This is like a wheelbarrow.
If you pay attention to how you load a wheelbarrow and put more of the weight over the wheel you will lift more ‘load’ with less arm/back strength.
Class 3, similar to class 2, has the load and effort both on the same side of the fulcrum, but they have switched positions. This is more like a baseball bat hitting a ball, a fishing rod hurling a hook, or our own human arms lifting something with the elbow straight.
To understand shoulder injuries, think of your shoulder as the fulcrum and your arm as the bar. If your arm is straight there will be more strain on the fulcrum and less if your arm is bent. Here the length of a long lever does not help lift heavier loads. Your shoulder joint is a ball and socket joint, but the socket is comprised of two prongs that extend from the scapula and one end of the clavicle. These three points hold the ball of the humerus like a tripod that mostly sits sideways. It is called the acromioclavicular joint (AC). In other words, even in muscular people the shoulder joint is not the most stable of joints. With a heavy load in the hand of a straight arm, more effort is needed to lift or propel an object. The strain is at the fulcrum, in this case acromioclavicular joint, which can come apart at any of the three points that hold the ball of the humorous. So, the best idea is to lift with a bent arm rather than a straight one.
Other applications of this are straight leg lifts. When you lie on your back and lift both your straightened legs up, the fulcrum is the hip/pelvis and two lowest points of your lumbar spine, L4 and L5. When there is ample cartilage in the discs and the back muscles can hold the vertebrae in place, lifting this long lever easily with the abdominal muscles is a good abdominal exercise. However, doing a straight leg lift is unadvisable for anyone with back troubles, because when there is a disc issue or a flexibility problem with the leg muscles, this exercise can cause strain on the low back. If the low back muscles are not able to hold the vertebrae firm, the abdominal muscles will pull the vertebrae forward, causing the curve in the back to alter the fulcrum point, and that will also strain the back. To modify this abdominal exercise, bend the knees, (shorten the lever) and carefully keep the small of your back pressed into the floor (stabilize the fulcrum).
Toe touches can be done to stretch the hamstring muscles, which are the back of the thighs. Tight hamstrings usually accompany back pain, and keeping the hamstrings flexible is a precaution to prevent back problems. Start by reaching the arms up straight and high, then lower your hands to the floor as far down as possible, bending only at the waist. The upper body and arms are the lever and the waist is the fulcrum, but here the lower body is also part of the lever machine and will be a consideration. Again, if you already have back problems, modify this exercise keeping the lever action in mind. To modify toe touches, bend the knees a little (more if you start to feel the back hurt) as you reach down. Reaching the floor even with knees bent is still a good hamstring stretch. To increase flexibility, hold the stretch for 15–20 seconds before standing back up. Repeat 3-5 times in a session. With consistent repetition over time, you’re likely to still gain some flexibility even if you never straighten your legs completely. Another modification would be to shorten the lever of your body from the waist up. Here, your arms help you shorten the lever. Have a chair or other sturdy piece of furniture nearby and keep your hands by your side. Place a hand on the chair as you bend to lessen the stress on the fulcrum of bending at the waist. A third modification is to sit on the floor, bend the knees and reach forward over the legs as best you can.
Stretching has a little bit of therapeutic pain to it. There’s a different kind of pain as you make a muscle longer than it is used to being. The first few times it doesn’t necessarily feel good, because stretch receptor nerves give a definite signal to warn you not to stretch too far. Stretching needs to be to a point where your feel a type of warning sensation. Regular stretching is a real deterrent to feeling old and stiff. Yoga and Tai Chi are two activities that involve stretching and can help one feel refreshed and more mobile. Yoga can be more strenuous than Tai Chi, and both need some caution as you begin. Now you can use the knowledge of levers to protect your body while you improve your physical condition.
Stop by the clinic...for this month’s charity fundraiser on Saturday, March 25th, between 9:00 and 1:00. Receive a chiropractic adjustment or a meridian balancing (acu-stim) treatment in exchange for a donation in the amount of your choice. All proceeds from this month will benefit the Teller Country Regional Animal Shelter.
“Give me a lever long enough and a place to stand and I could lift the entire earth.”…says the Greek scientist, Archimedes. When you remember that a lever has potential for being helpful or hurtful, you can modify your activities to prevent injury. The idea is that the length of the lever helps reduce the effort it takes to lift the weight you are attempting to lift. The key to this lever action is called the fulcrum, which is the place that the lever pivots on. Understanding this is realizing there is a strain put on the fulcrum, because it is the place upon where the lever is propped up or pushed against to lift the object. If you think about this principle as it relates to exercising, you can use it to figure out what actions are harder on your bones and joints.
Following are three classes of levers. A lever is a simple machine, consisting of a solid long ‘bar’ and a fulcrum.
Class 1 has the load on one side of the fulcrum and the force to lift the load on the opposite side of the fulcrum, similar to a teeter totter. Remember how a teeter totter can accommodate different weights of children by moving the heavier child closer to the middle (the fulcrum)? Using this principle, you can lift something that is heavier at one end by finding that balance point. When you consider your legs to be two ends of a teeter totter and your pelvis is the fulcrum, this helps you understand that if one foot is heavier (has a cast on it) the action of walking puts a strain on the pelvis and you will feel the most discomfort in the low back.
Class 2 has the load and the effort to lift the load both on the same side as the fulcrum. This is like a wheelbarrow.
If you pay attention to how you load a wheelbarrow and put more of the weight over the wheel you will lift more ‘load’ with less arm/back strength.
Class 3, similar to class 2, has the load and effort both on the same side of the fulcrum, but they have switched positions. This is more like a baseball bat hitting a ball, a fishing rod hurling a hook, or our own human arms lifting something with the elbow straight.
To understand shoulder injuries, think of your shoulder as the fulcrum and your arm as the bar. If your arm is straight there will be more strain on the fulcrum and less if your arm is bent. Here the length of a long lever does not help lift heavier loads. Your shoulder joint is a ball and socket joint, but the socket is comprised of two prongs that extend from the scapula and one end of the clavicle. These three points hold the ball of the humerus like a tripod that mostly sits sideways. It is called the acromioclavicular joint (AC). In other words, even in muscular people the shoulder joint is not the most stable of joints. With a heavy load in the hand of a straight arm, more effort is needed to lift or propel an object. The strain is at the fulcrum, in this case acromioclavicular joint, which can come apart at any of the three points that hold the ball of the humorous. So, the best idea is to lift with a bent arm rather than a straight one.
Other applications of this are straight leg lifts. When you lie on your back and lift both your straightened legs up, the fulcrum is the hip/pelvis and two lowest points of your lumbar spine, L4 and L5. When there is ample cartilage in the discs and the back muscles can hold the vertebrae in place, lifting this long lever easily with the abdominal muscles is a good abdominal exercise. However, doing a straight leg lift is unadvisable for anyone with back troubles, because when there is a disc issue or a flexibility problem with the leg muscles, this exercise can cause strain on the low back. If the low back muscles are not able to hold the vertebrae firm, the abdominal muscles will pull the vertebrae forward, causing the curve in the back to alter the fulcrum point, and that will also strain the back. To modify this abdominal exercise, bend the knees, (shorten the lever) and carefully keep the small of your back pressed into the floor (stabilize the fulcrum).
Toe touches can be done to stretch the hamstring muscles, which are the back of the thighs. Tight hamstrings usually accompany back pain, and keeping the hamstrings flexible is a precaution to prevent back problems. Start by reaching the arms up straight and high, then lower your hands to the floor as far down as possible, bending only at the waist. The upper body and arms are the lever and the waist is the fulcrum, but here the lower body is also part of the lever machine and will be a consideration. Again, if you already have back problems, modify this exercise keeping the lever action in mind. To modify toe touches, bend the knees a little (more if you start to feel the back hurt) as you reach down. Reaching the floor even with knees bent is still a good hamstring stretch. To increase flexibility, hold the stretch for 15–20 seconds before standing back up. Repeat 3-5 times in a session. With consistent repetition over time, you’re likely to still gain some flexibility even if you never straighten your legs completely. Another modification would be to shorten the lever of your body from the waist up. Here, your arms help you shorten the lever. Have a chair or other sturdy piece of furniture nearby and keep your hands by your side. Place a hand on the chair as you bend to lessen the stress on the fulcrum of bending at the waist. A third modification is to sit on the floor, bend the knees and reach forward over the legs as best you can.
Stretching has a little bit of therapeutic pain to it. There’s a different kind of pain as you make a muscle longer than it is used to being. The first few times it doesn’t necessarily feel good, because stretch receptor nerves give a definite signal to warn you not to stretch too far. Stretching needs to be to a point where your feel a type of warning sensation. Regular stretching is a real deterrent to feeling old and stiff. Yoga and Tai Chi are two activities that involve stretching and can help one feel refreshed and more mobile. Yoga can be more strenuous than Tai Chi, and both need some caution as you begin. Now you can use the knowledge of levers to protect your body while you improve your physical condition.
Stop by the clinic...for this month’s charity fundraiser on Saturday, March 25th, between 9:00 and 1:00. Receive a chiropractic adjustment or a meridian balancing (acu-stim) treatment in exchange for a donation in the amount of your choice. All proceeds from this month will benefit the Teller Country Regional Animal Shelter.
