Weightlifting's Effects on Spine

[vin01]

Today while doing standing overhead presses, I was contemplating the effects that any exercise with an unsupported arched back have on the spinal column/ disks.
I do standing military's and 1 arm overhead extensions for tris without a belt. I feel like there is alot of compression on my spine. My lower back muscles are relatively strong.
Anybody else ever think about the effects of weight and momentum and what they are doing to our backbone/ vertebrae?

My thinking: The weights and movement make for adaptation and strengthening of the entire system. However, the compression and loading, especially when arched- cannot be a good thing especially for the intervetebral discs.

Any thoughts?

 

[Anthrax Invasion]

Here's an excerpt from a book I've been reading by Mel Siff.

"...In other words, narrowing of the discs causes disc bulging (which happens with any gel filled ellipsoid or sphere subjected to external loading) and increases the tension of the fibres of the fibrous annulus which contains the pulpous interior. However, this does not produce harmful changes in intradiscal pressure or longitudinal stress along the axis of the spine..."

You should keep a natural curve in your spine. Provided you do this, and utilize the Valsalva maneuver, you shouldn't have any worries.

 

[AEKDB]

i assume that you are not talking about an abnormal bend in the back. In my opinion your back muscles will compensate just like the rest of your muscle groups. Look at how the muscles swallow Kaz's spine. This is the result of heavy compound and standing lifts.

 

[vin01]

No, not an abnormal bend. Just the typical arch and strain you would feel holding a weight overhead, supported by 1 or 2 arms. Good posts guys.

The arch I am talking about is similar to how one might arch their back during a BB or Tbar row or a power benching arch.

anthrax- what book was that from?

 

[Anthrax Invasion]

Facts & Fallacies of Fitness by Mel Siff.

 

[JarheadChiro]

If the lifts are performed correctly and within your weight abilities the spine and related structures benefit from all work.

The paraspinal muscles, (Iliocostalis, Longissimus and Spinalis muscle groups) are the spine protectors, when they are strong it keeps the Lordotic and Kyphotic curves of the spine at optimum degree angles to support and ad/absorb shock.

The spine when loaded and un-loaded with weight also causes "imbibition" the procees of fluid flushing ito the intervertebral discs.

...but what do I know I'm just a lowly Chiropractor...

 

[Anthrax Invasion]

All the research in the world can't change my mind on squatting helping my back. The proof is in the pudding, I guess, 'cause when I squat I feel worlds better.

 

[Protobuilder]

Stretching would seem to counteract any negative effects lifting might have in terms of compression . . .

 

[bignate73]

i notice mention of this with regards to "unsupported". this implies that supported ie. with a back would be better. if anything it would be worse with no legs to take up some of the jarring, it would be transferred to the hips where you are sitting.

just my thoughts. also, your abs are more involved with a standing press, so in essence you are more supported muscularly as well as just structurally.

 

[vin01]

As is well in standing military world then. (yay)

Thanks everyone- big help in clearing that up. Can't help when my biomed engineer mindset collides with my weightlifting..

 

[Madcow2]

There is a lot of belief that if severe angles are used in overhead pressing i.e. dramatic hyperextension with heavy load bearing (i.e. like OL just before the clean and press was eliminated as these guys cheated back with everything they had) can cause issues - a few studies on OLs conducted on those who had competed in the press complaining of chronic back pain found a high degree of spondylolysis (keep in mind - when you have a sample pulled entirely from a population of individuals experiencing back problems it's likely to screw results as sample bias is not indicative of the normal population - even moreso because there is a heredity component). Maybe this is true and maybe it isn't but as long as you aren't turning your overhead presses into some sort of sadistic standing flat bench you are fine.

For those interested in the full review "Injury Potential and Safety Aspects of Weightlifting Movements", Stone et al as well as Hamill's study on relative weightlifting safety the complete text for both was posted by Arioch here: http://www.elitefitness.com/forum/archive/index.php/t-142219.html

 

[JarheadChiro]

"Madcow2" brings some interesting points along with the information from the link.

Let me interject some thoughts.

The weights invovled in overhead presses are far less than the weight used in the exercises performed that have shown injury, ie, Olympic lift, cleans...

Hyperextension? Were talking about standing military presses here!

A Spondylolysis is a fracture of the vetebrae, usually caused by severe trauma!

A Spondylolesthesis is the forward movement of the vertebrae causing nerve pain and structural instability. This can be caused by very heavy dead lifts, cleans...
but, again were talking overhead presses for reps...

A Retro-Spondylolesthesis is a posterior movement caused usually by some pathology causing the muscles and ligaments to lose stability and then forces are applied and/or trauma.

White and Panjabi are the worlds foremost experts on this info if you don't believe me.

With all due respect, I respect "Madcow2's" information but, I find little relevance here.

 

[Madcow2]

There really wasn't much other than some random tangent crap and some interesting reads for those interested. The only relevance was that the OL's used to consist of the clean & Press as well as C&J and Snatch. Lifters were notorious for cheating on the press by bending backward to the utmost limits and pressing max singles (believe me, I've seen pictures that stagger the mind with the degree of backbend - the upper right picture here is a good illustration http://tomgorman.moonfruit.com/cleanpressii and not the worst by far). Some studies on OLs had shown spine issues - one issue is the horrid sample selection, the other being that some people thought the inclusion of the press might contribute and that without it (and the gradual relaxation of rules that came with it and culminated in it being dropped) the sport is now safer. My caution was to not worry about it but don't press like the guy in the corner of that link is doing.

 

[b fold the truth]

I've picked up some pretty things with an arched, rounded, and flat back. I feel that I have a much less chance for spinal injury than most people...because my back is strengthened and trained in this manner.

I don't have back pain.

For the most part...I don't think that most people will ever have to worry about the weights that they are using causing them major injury.

B True