Power sports are very dangerous for the spine and powerlifting is not an exception. If you spend lifting weights against the rules, it will necessarily affect the spine. Especially dangerous sports such adolescents who have not yet ended the growth of the musculoskeletal system.

As weight lifting affects the state of the spine and the sciatic nerve

The sciatic nerve is the largest and most powerful nerve in the human body. It is formed of the branches of the spinal nerves extending from the lower lumbar and upper sacral vertebrae. Therefore, trauma and lumbar sacral areas and almost always injure the sciatic nerve The sciatic nerve: how to avoid the excruciating pain? .

Powerlifting or power triathlon involves three exercises: squats on the back bench of the bar lying on a flat bench and deadlift. At the same time during training raises the following fixed positions:

• fixed position with a barbell on your shoulders (squats);
• fixed position with the bar above the breast on straightened arms (press rod in the supine position);
• fixed position with a barbell in his hands drooping, shoulders lowered and laid back (in the deadlift).

Any of these fixed positions can cause injury if the load capacity is too fast. But the most dangerous exercises related to the heavy lifting in a posture with trunk bent forward, carried out during the third exercise (deadlift). This is real overload the lumbar spine when lifting too much cargo or violation of the exercise equipment. Strong bending forward increases the load on his back.

It was found that most often the cause of changes in the spine in powerlifting are no major serious injuries (though they often occur in powerlifting), and the small, subtle injuries (microtrauma). So, as a result of improper lifting techniques gradually injured intervertebral discs, they appear microcracks that violates their blood supply and further exacerbates the situation. Over time, the wheels (normally they act as shock absorbers) cease to perform its function and begin to injure the vertebrae themselves. Tripping the wheels may fall outside of the spine, thus damaging the roots of the spinal nerves and causing pain.

From lifting heavy loads can be broken vertebrae themselves, under high loads and drives violations injured and they gradually lose strength. This can result in the appearance of compression (by squeezing) of vertebral fractures. All these features make the structure of the spine powerlifting potentially dangerous sport, especially for inexperienced athletes and adolescents. In this sport is great opportunity to stay for a lifetime disability, damaging his spine.

Spinal injury can be severe and at the same time, during which the failure occurs intervertebral disc, vertebra or infringement of the sciatic nerve Infringement of the sciatic nerve: why it happens .

Trauma can occur not only at the level of the spine, but also at any other level in the zone of passage of the sciatic nerve. The most common microtrauma occur at the transition in the tendon or muscle at the site of tendon attachment to the bone. Such trauma can develop for a long time against a high load on the weakened section, and sometimes occurs rapidly at some sudden movement or lifting weights.

How to avoid damage to the spine and the sciatic nerve in powerlifting

To do this, first of all, you need a qualified coach who will teach how to lift weights, gradually increasing the load, because the rapid increase in the load, the back muscles do not have time to increase their power and do not hold the spine in the correct position. The result is an injury.

Most of them are small, but it does happen often enough, many athletes do not pay attention to them. However, collecting, they can lead to significant changes in the spine.

A good coach sets for athletes individual loads that depend on its power, build, degree of physical development, age, frequency, and intensity of exercise and other factors.

In order to avoid injury during training is necessary and sufficient long warm-up, which contributes to warming up and stretching muscles, and then carrying out basic exercises with a gradual build-up of stress when lifting weights.

Powerlifting - this is a dangerous sport, which could lead to injury of the spine and the emergence of long-term severe pain along the sciatic nerve. To treat such injuries is difficult, they require not only intensive treatment, but long-term rehabilitation.

Galina Romanenko

At the mention of martial arts person usually thinks of active movements, bumps and hard physical contact, and not the slow, rhythmic, meditative movements that promote relaxation Relaxation and stress - calm, not panic!   and inner peace. But that's how you can describe the movement that teach tai chi master.

Story

Chinese martial art of tai chi originated many centuries ago; it comes from the practice of Qigong - an ancient art, learning various methods of regulation processes of the body. According to some reports, tai chi is already 2500 years, but the exact age of this art is difficult to establish. The task of tai chi - self-defense and to achieve inner peace and balance. People studying tai chi, they say that the best masters of this martial art may discourage almost any attack, so that neither the attacker nor the audience later can not say exactly how it was done. In their movements using internal energy; to direct it, trained people required minimum, almost imperceptible movement. With a high level of training a person can use a small amount of internal energy to neutralize the great (in the usual sense) external power hitter.

Qi

In traditional Chinese medicine Traditional Chinese medicine and treatment for problem skin   man is regarded as a miniature version of the universe and how the universe consists of a continuous interaction of the five elements - metal, water, fire, wood, and earth. It is believed that the five elements run through all human organs, as the five parts of the universal chi energy, which is the life force of the world. Inside the human body, it travels through certain channels - meridians. A person is healthy when the energy moves freely through the meridians; Qigong and tai chi taught, among other things, regulate the flow of vital energy in your own body.

In China, believe that tai chi helps to slow aging and prolong life, improve the flexibility of muscles and ligaments, making them stronger; he is credited with the ability to prevent and treat heart disease, high blood pressure, arthritis Arthritis - a variety of forms and complications , Digestive disorders, skin disorders, depression Depression - a little more than a bad mood , Cancer, and many other disorders. Unfortunately, there has not been enough research conducted, which would confirm or refute the presence of tai chi these properties from a scientific point of view. Nevertheless, there are already some of the findings of scientists who have studied the effect of tai chi.

Equilibrium

Doctors have studied the effect of tai chi on the elderly, in particular, on their ability to maintain balance and avoid falling. This area of ​​research is of particular importance because of injury associated with simple falls, often lead to serious complications in the elderly, and even death. One of the most serious of injuries - a broken hip; half of elderly patients who are hospitalized with such an injury, never recovered their previous level of mobility.

Because tai chi is practiced slow motion transfer body weight from one leg to the other, as well as the coordination of leg movements with the movements of the body, it can be assumed that it significantly improves the ability to maintain balance and prevent falls. This has been demonstrated experimentally.

One study compared the state of the group of men older than 65 years who for more than ten years of practicing tai chi (and do not engage in other sports) with a group of their peers, who were mostly sedentary lifestyle, and never engaged in tai chi. The first group was significantly better when tested vestibular apparatus, flexibility and function of the cardiovascular system than the second group. In another study, which was attended by twenty-two men and women aged 22 to 76 years with mild imbalance, it was found that eight weeks of tai chi significantly improve the functioning of the vestibular apparatus.

Fear of falling and increase self-confidence

In another study, researchers found that practicing tai chi reduced fear of falling (and, consequently, injury), from 56% to 31% in a large group of people over 70 years. Confidence in their own ability to keep your balance and total self-confidence can be a pleasant side effect of Tai Chi, which is of great benefit in terms of both physical and psychological health.

Strength and endurance

It was found that tai chi classes three times a week for one hour, for twelve weeks, people older than 60 years significantly increase muscle strength, flexibility and endurance. Moreover, tai chi improves the supply of various tissues and organs of oxygen. This feature makes tai chi beneficial for people of any age, since by reason of the modern way of life, people often experience a lack of oxygen.