St Peters Spine Stability Helped by Breathing and Diaphragm Training
Spinal stability is the base for spine movement. Spinal stability protects the nervous system structures, the spinal cord, and spinal nerve roots. Old Mill Chiropractic assesses spinal stability in all our St Peters back pain patients as part of our chiropractic service. Spinal stability depends on strong, stable musculature to perform its job. New research is pointing to the role of the diaphragm and breathing in supporting spinal stability.
SPINAL STABILITY
All the assorted parts of the spine figure into spinal stability, even the smallest spinal motion segment’s vertebra (the bony part of the spine). Ligaments, bones, and discs in the spine contribute to all sorts of coupled motions of the spine and transmit proprioceptive impulses to the central nervous system which aligns muscle tone, movement, and reflexes. If any of the spinal structures are damaged or otherwise in peril – like a degenerated disc – spinal instability is feasible. (1) That’s where your St Peters chiropractor comes onto the scene with chiropractic spinal manipulation and an effective treatment plan including exercise.
BREATHING TRAINING IN SPINAL STABILITY
Chiropractic care at Old Mill Chiropractic addresses spinal stability with some usual exercise suggestions and explores the use of innovative exercise approaches like breathing that are showing some promise. Maximal abdominal contraction maneuver compared with maximal expiration exercise showed itself better at increasing spinal stability. As a breathing exercise to increase spinal joint stability, it had a positive effect on increasing co-contraction and spine stability as shown by significantly larger muscle thickness of the transverse abdominis and rectus abdominis. (2) Forced breathing exercise therapy improved trunk stability and activities of daily living in chronic low back pain patients. (3) St Peters back pain patients will value how something they do every day – done with just a little more purpose - may help them with their back pain!
DIAPHRAGM TRAINING IN SPINAL STABILITY
Certainly, breathing and the diaphragm are intimately intertwined, and both offer some hope in fixing spinal stability issues. Old Mill Chiropractic came across some new studies on how diaphragm training addresses spinal stability. In a study of rehabilitating athletes with nonspecific low back pain, inserting diaphragm training (breathing) to electrical stimulation therapy was helped improve function, stability, pain, and balance. (4) Diaphragm training significantly reduced the severity of pain and also influenced the thickness of active stabilizers - transversus abdominis, lumbar multifidus muscle - in the lumbar spine. (5) Strong, thick spinal stabilizers are helpful in tackling St Peters back pain.
CONTACT Old Mill Chiropractic
Listen to this PODCAST with Dr. Lee Hazen and Cheri Hazen RN, ICHC, FNLP, LE, on The Back Doctors Podcast with Dr. Michael Johnson as they describe their combined treatment approach of breathing training and the Cox® Technic System of Spinal Pain Management helped a patient find back pain relief.
Schedule your St Peters chiropractic appointment soon. Breathing and diaphragm training go a long way in helping keep the spine stable, decreasing St Peters back pain, and keeping the foundation of spinal movement intact.
