SHORTENING THE LEVER
By cueing participants to shorten the levers, you can help them avoid unnecessary
strain and reduce their risk of back injury.
WORDS: LISA GREENBAUM
hen we move our spine into
flexion, extension, twisting, or
lateral flexion, the position of our
arms can dramatically change the overall
safety of our movement.
Depending on our arm position, we can
create a ‘long lever’ or a ‘short lever’. A long
lever uses the arms to add to the overall
length of the torso (e.g. when the arms are
lifted so that the biceps are next to the
ears). In this position, when we move the
spine from neutral into extension, flexion,
or lateral flexion, it increases the amount of
load that the back supports. For the general
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