Back pain, neck pain, sciatica and arm pain are the most common complaints around the globe. In all countries, 4 out of 5 people suffer from these ailments at some point in their life. The cumulative world cost for treating these pains is $300 - $500 billion per year. American companies are spending billions per year to treat what the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation describe as the leading cause of global disability. The global burden of disability associated with LBP has increased in all age groups between 1990 and 2019 and was greatest in the 50-54 age group in 2019. 70% of years lost through disability were in working-aged people (20-65 years).
I had a chance to learn more in this interview.
Why is back pain such a prevalent issue?
Back pain is the most prevalent human issue that starts with our ability to stand up straight and walk and then complicated by our big bellies, large breasts, poor lifting habits and poor posture. The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation Global Burden of Disability study states that back pain is the number one cause of disability worldwide.
How can meditation help people who lift a lot for their job?
About Meditation: Many people, even physicians, believe that the brain and spine are separate, even though the spinal cord and nerve roots bring and carry information to the brain. Hundreds of recent studies with functional MRI scans show that with meditation, the physical structure of the brain changes in a positive way called positive neuroplasticity. The frontal thinking cortex becomes thicker, and the reactive, reptilian emotional brain becomes smaller. The corpus callosum, which connects the right and left brain, becomes thicker. Long-term studies show meditation results in more volume, a better geometry of the brain, and a slowing of the epigenetic clock, meaning a longer life and fewer chronic diseases. Studies have also shown that meditation increases the size of telomeres—the caps at the end of chromosomes that protect DNA from deterioration.
Traditional meditation involves sitting in a quiet, calm and peaceful place. My mother taught me to keep my spine straight and to breathe in and out with conviction as I sat in a cross-legged sitting posture, known as the lotus position, that originated in meditative practices of ancient India. More profound meditation, such as alternate nostril breathing, includes breathing through one nostril at a time and out through the opposite. Yogis believe that this exercise can cleanse and rejuvenate your energy channels. Thoughts, emotions, and feelings will come to you as you sit. It's important to recognize them and allow them to pass without letting yourself become attached. The thoughts and emotions diminish with time, which provides access to universal thoughts and energies. This process is excellent for resetting our minds from the frustrations and negativity called negative neuroplasticity that prevents us from achieving the daily regimens that keep us healthy and pain-free.
Guided imagery is the process of sitting in a quiet, comfortable place while relaxing and following audio or video instructions. An instructor guides you through various scenarios of directed thoughts and suggestions that lead your imagination toward a relaxed, focused state to help cleanse physical and emotional burdens.
I wrote the Lift meditations to help people become aware of how much they lift and how that weight is magnified to the spine.
-The "LIFT: Who Am I Meditation"
helps people who lift daily identify how much they lift.
The average person lifts twenty to fifty pounds per day, which is 5,000 to 18,000 pounds a year. Some delivery people lift 1.0 to 1.5 million pounds per year.
This meditation explains the 250X day multiplier, the 7,9,12 and 15X spine force multiplier, and the ½X, 2X, 4X distance from body multiplier. All the parts of proper posture and poor posture are explained, along with posture strengthening strategies.
-The "Lift: My Daily Routine Meditation"
is directed to people who lift for a living.
The meditation provides a fully guided daily protocol for readiness, including:
breathwork,
stretch work,
strength work,
aerobic work,
and my one-half hour vacation.
What are some other ways people can make sure they're taking care of their back at the workplace? Awareness!
"I am going to do more work than a running back in football,
I am going to do more work with my legs than a hockey goalie,
I need to be an elite athlete,
I am going to warm up and prepare."
The meditation provides a fully guided daily protocol for readiness, including:
breathwork,
stretch work,
strength work,
aerobic work,
and my one-half hour vacation.
Where may I find these Meditations? DrKen.hearnow.com
Dr. Ken Hansraj is a New York based spinal surgeon who has dedicated more than 20 years of his life to helping people in every country improve their spinal health. His posture studies, including “Text Neck,” have been carried by most media outlets in all countries for more than 9 billion media impressions as measured by Thompson-Reuter’s Cision. He specializes in cervical, thoracic and lumbar procedures, including laminectomies and spinal fusions. Dr. Ken believes in whole body wellness, preventative care and that the spine is a principal indicator of general health impacted by “human software and hardware.”
He has an emerging new book Watch Your Back.
Dr. Ken enjoys an array of activities in his spare time, including alpine skiing, walking, jogging, reading, and spending time with family and friends. He uses these meditations that he recommends for people in his own daily life. Dr. Ken, himself, is a fan of tending to his mental wellbeing, meditation, thinking, nutrition, posture, breath, range-of-motion, strength, sleep, and dress wear.
While Dr. Ken loves to help people walk again with spine surgery, he is so happy to help people walk again using words. Hence the meditations.
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