Creating safety in your nervous system
And, how that relates to reducing back pain
The definition of mobility is the “ability to move or be moved freely and easily.” How does mobility create safety within your nervous system? When you can freely and easily move without struggle, pain or fear, your nervous system can stay in a place of calm with readiness to act. When your nervous system is experiencing a heightened sense of fear or struggle or pain, it tends to activate your flight, fight or freeze response. We may feel unsafe in those moments when our sympathetic nervous system is trying to protect us. In relation to mobility, when our body does not feel safe in a movement, it will guard against the movement.
This lack of movement and mobility as related to the lower back involves our hamstrings and hips. Research has shown that the perception of tight hamstrings may be due to weakness in the hamstrings or hips causing a gripping of the muscles. Having worked with thousands of people over the years, I have learned that what seems to help create a safe environment for your nervous system is incorporating daily movement into your routine.
What type of daily movement? Movement that encourages you to move throughout your available range of motion. To create a change in your available range of motion, the nervous system needs to perceive safety within the movement.
Creating safety can include the following:
• Include strength training into your exercise routine-strengthening the hamstrings, glutes, and core can help
• Practice breathing as you exercise and avoid holding your breath or taking short, halting breaths as you move your body
• Acknowledge where you have pain or stiffness and move into the edges of your limits in order to create space for more movement. If you are exploring your edges, pause and notice what is happening in your body. Where do you feel different sensations in your body?
• Try a new activity. Change up your exercise routine to challenge your body in a new way.
• Apply deep pressure to the area of perceived stiffness especially when you are practicing a posture that is pushing you toward your limit of mobility. The applied touch can provide sensory input to your body letting your brain and nervous system know that you’re “okay.”
If you’ve gotten to the bottom of this, I want to thank you for sticking with me! I am grateful you’re here. As always, I would love to hear how this lands for you.
Take good care,
Sharon