And suddenly it happens: a wrong movement and the cross hurts so much that every stirring becomes a torment. A witch’s shot? Already possible, because this affects about three-quarters of the population aged 30-50 years at least once in life and is therefore certainly not uncommon.
The witch’s shot (Lumbago) often arises after a more everyday movement and manifests in the form of a sudden, strong pain in the area of the back. Luckily, the haunting usually lasts only a few days with a mixture of gentle posture and therapeutic exercises and the ability to move returns to the origin. When the witch’s shot is over, there is usually no damage or injury left. Nevertheless, after recovery, it is recommended to avoid misalignments in everyday life as well as to integrate movements to strengthen the muscles in order to avoid another witch’s shot.
How does a witch’s shot come about?
The witch’s shot manifests itself in the form of a pain that sufferers often perceive as drilling, pulling or stinging. He often sits between the buttocks and loin and is noticeable on one side of his body. Anyone who suffers a witch’s shot can hardly stand up, let alone move. But what is the cause of a witch’s shot and why does the body suddenly react so strongly to a simple movement?
There is no clear cause for a witch’s shot. It is usually the combination of erroneous postures, stress, stress or lack of movement that ultimately puts the cross out of action for a while. If one traces the physical condition of the affected person before the appearance of a witch’s shot, it can be determined that in most cases a weakening of the back muscles has been present for some time. If the body is not moved and trained regularly, the muscles are shortened or hardened quickly. The ligaments also become immobile and the nerve fibers react. Under these conditions, it can easily happen that the body reacts with a sudden blockage even with a simple lifting or rotational motion, which can be quite painful.
In the end, only one thing helps: prevention – with regular exercises and movement sequences to permanently strengthen the back muscles. Especially long sitting in the office should be supplemented by sporty units, because apart from incorrect sitting postures as well as psychological stress, many sitting people become tired of the ligaments, muscles and nerve fibers. In order to keep the body permanently fit and flexible, it is important to strengthen the muscles permanently, whereby a sequence of stretching and strength training can be helpful.
Prevention against witch-hunting
Especially people who do not exercise and take unhealthy sitting and standing positions in everyday life tend to suffer from pain and tension in the area of the neck, back or shoulders. Physical activity should be paramount if incidents such as the witch’s shot are to be avoided. In any case, it can not hurt to train the backbone with gymnastic exercises or to optimize one’s posture, e.g. with the help of a back school. All these measures can prevent a blockade in the form of a witch’s shot from arising in the first place or from returning.
Often, however, the necessary incentive or the necessary sporting knowledge is missing to start an individual training or ideally integrate it into everyday life. In such cases, physiotherapy can help. There, the cause of a witch’s shot is investigated in order to create an individually adapted training to strengthen the back muscles. This includes not only a back school, where proper sitting or walking are trained, but also everyday movements, such as the back-gentle lifting of objects. In a training that focuses on the back, chest and abdomen, the spine is repeatedly strained and relieved in order to achieve a sustainable training success. In addition to physiotherapy, sports such as pilates, yoga or swimming can strengthen the muscles of the back without overloading it.
Exercises to strengthen the back muscles pay off in the long term. Regular training can prevent the emergence of another witch’s shot and reduce everyday tension and pain. A flexible, painless body that enjoys exercise – what could be more beautiful than that!