Can You Cat/Camel?

In twelve years as a physical therapist, I am always surprised to see how much folks struggle with this relatively basic exercise.  It seems pretty simple, but when people hit the floor to perform it, all sorts of things happen.

The benefit of the cat/camel is that it allows you to bring your spine and pelvis through a relatively unloaded range of motion.  Difficulty performing this exercise speaks to the fact that so many of us have lost awareness, feeling, and control of our core movements.  Without this kinesthetic awareness and control, how can one be expected to maintain a neutral spine in standing, sitting, or when safely picking something up from the floor?

Here's a demonstration of the cat/camel:

I recommend making the cat/camel one of the first exercises in a core stabilization program.  It is a good way to establish and master control of your spine before you layer on more complex movements.

Mind and Body, Withering on the Vine

"Please pardon any errors, typos, or brevity that may incur when I'm replying from my mobile or Tablet. "

This was the disclaimer on the bottom of the "cover" email accompanying a resume I received last week.  A preemptive excuse for the mistakes you may make?  Is this where technology has lead us? A progression, or a regression?

"Smart" phones are great.  I wouldn't want to live without mine.  But think about what the "smart" means.  The inventors and programmers of all the apps that make our lives easier are wicked (a nod to any Bostonians who may be reading this) smart.  But they sure as hell aren't making most of us users any smarter.  As long as we can "Google" something, we're all geniuses.  We don't even have to know how to type our searches, we can simply speak them.  Generations to follow will likely have atrophied brains with hypertrophied thumbs.  Instant access to mountains of information, with an inversely proportional effort required to attain it.  

"Yeah, so what's your point, preaching about how our smart phones/pads are dumbing us down?"

Simple.  The science is there to back up the fact that those who keep their minds engaged by such things as crossword puzzles and other "brain games" help stave off dementia.  Use it or lose it.  If we become so dependent on our technology that we no longer challenge our power of recall, then that function won't be there for us when we need it.  It would have dissipated from lack of mental exercise.  Or if we start to use technology as an excuse to be quick and lazy (as exemplified by the discarded resume at the bottom of my waste basket), we may slowly drift away from bothering to do things correctly all together.

Today, I had two separate interactions with patients that got me thinking about this concept of disuse atrophy.  One was with a Google programmer.  We were discussing Google glasses, which are sure to become ubiquitous in the near future.  He told me that they were doing away with the facial recognition feature due to privacy concerns.  This feature would have allowed us to walk down the street, look at a face, and attain instant identification on the glasses display.  Amazing technology, no doubt.  But also incredibly eerie.  Why do we have a need to recognize everybody, always, instantaneously?  Wouldn't it be better to practice the skill of stalling with small talk while scanning your mental Rolodex for the momentarily forgotten name?  

The other interaction that I had today was with a new patient.  He is a very "jacked up" (muscular) 56 year-old who has been lifting weights since he was seventeen.  He came to see me for help with some knee pain.  I put him through a movement screen which exposed multiple dysfunctions.  I'm sure this gentleman can press and pull a ton of weight, but he couldn't balance on either leg for more than 4-5 seconds without losing his balance.  He also had no prayer of performing a competent squat.  In the subjective part of the exam, he had told me that he lifts weights 4-5 times a week, but he said "no" when I asked him if he squats or dead lifts.  The reason, he explained, was that he has poor balance.  So instead, he prefers to sit on machines, where his stabilizing muscles can take a vacation as he wails away on his big movers, the "beach" muscles.  He asked me this very legitimate question:

"Why would I ever squat deeply if I never need to do that in my life?"

My reason was very similar to the one I have for giving Google an occasional breather and using your own brain power to recall information.  Use it or lose it.  I told him that I didn't want him to squat for squatting sake.  If he wants to continue to sculpt his quads and glutes on the leg press, go for it.  But I asked him to throw in some body weight (no load) squats on top.  I explained to him that being able to get fairly low in his squat demonstrates mobility of his ankles, knees, and hips, as well as control to get down there.  I further explained that that motion and control will serve him well in all facets of his life, not just squatting.  

All the work your younger self did in laying down movement patterns and learning and storing vast amounts of information shouldn't go to waste.  Rather than consistently choosing the easiest path, try challenging your mind and body.  That way, if your smart phone dies on you, or you're forced to move out of your comfort zone, your God given abilities will be there, ready to deliver.