Back pain is still the number one national illness. In Germany, 60 percent of the people who are unable to work blame it on chronic back trouble. This could be avoided with proper prevention. Through strengthening the spinal disks and invigorating the back muscles, it becomes a lot easier to be more relaxed in life.
Spinal disks
Overstrained spinal discs buckle, slip or press against the nerves that run along the spinal column and this then triggers pain. It only happens however when the spinal discs have lost their buffer ability. When they have become inflexible, they speak up painfully.
The spinal discs consist for 90 percent out of fluid, so it is important for them to be always and equably filled. In the course of a day, fluid is pressed out of the spinal disks, but in the night they recharge again and by morning have reached their normal size. The difference can be one to two centimeters.
Physiotherapist Paul Klammer from Traben – Trabach (Germany) lets spinal disc patients, who have just been operated on, climb onto the highly flexible trampoline after only three days. He says that they perceive this as an absolute benefit and don’t want to get off. On the highly flexible bellicon, the maximum burden on the spinal discs is only half as high as was detected when jogging normally.
Back muscles
“A strong back can charm”: This proverbial wisdom doesn’t only refer to the optical aspects of a strong back. Well developed, functioning back muscles protect you from pain as long as they all carry their weight equally. The loin muscles in particular have an important task to fulfill: they hold the vertebrae and spinal discs in position.
When swinging on the bellicon, the back muscles also become toned. Because the body continuously goes up and down on the soft mat, the muscle cells are subjected to constant tension and relaxation. The effect on the back muscles is two-fold: on the one hand, the muscles – like all other muscles- are trained because the metabolism has been activated; on the other hand, this tensing and relaxing works like a massage: cramped muscles become increasingly relaxed through the continuous change in gravity– something which can be an absolute blessing to back patients suffering a lot of pain.
Conclusion:
Swinging on the bellicon is a very good way to supply the spinal discs with fluid and to strengthen the back muscles. Spinal disks can really recharge themselves and partially regain lost elasticity. A great advantage is that, based on the low impact of this gentle swinging, no compression strain occurs. People with back pain experience this swinging as a relaxing and pain free way to exercise.
