Everyone seems to accept (based upon research and protocols) certain parameters/numbers for health and/or fitness.
Your blood pressure should be under 120/80.
Your cholesterol should be under 200.
Your BMI should be between 18.5 and 24.9.
You should brush twice per day, and floss once per day.
Your fasting blood sugar should be under 100.
All of these, and more, are goals to aim for in order to be able to sleep at night and not worry (too much) about your health. Hit these, and other, target numbers and you are doing a good job of “taking care of yourself” and can be assured that you are doing the best that you can in order to avoid disease and/or injury. And, there is some rough evidence and research to support this.
Speaking of injury and research, what about the Biering-Sorensen test?!?!?
“Huh?”, you say...
The Biering-Sorenson test determines your parameter/number that relates to your risk of back pain. And, there is a plethora of solid and specific evidence and research to support this! For those who are familiar with me in the ‘clinical sense’, this should be a review. For those of you who have never heard of Biering-Sorensen, listen up!
Just like the mentioned above numbers, there exists a very specific number that relates to your risk of acquiring back pain.
Dr. Stan Bigos, one of the leading researchers and experts on the subject of back pain, stated in 2000 that 98% of Americans will have an acute episode of low back pain by the time they reach age 50. Considering this, the Biering-Sorensen test might produce an extremely important number for you/us to be aware of.
A slight tangent for a moment (ala “Confessions of a Medical Heretic” style – Dr. Mendehlson).
Why is it that so few people have heard of the Biering-Sorensen test and yet it is the single most important number when assessing your risk for developing back pain?
(I have 46 different studies that have specifically investigated this and all agree).
In 1984, Biering-Sorensen took the entire population of Glostrup, Denmark (just under 1,000 people) and had them perform this specific test. From the number that they achieved, he was able to predict for up to a year following who would develop low back pain (yes, it was statistically significant for all you smart kids...).
Okay, this was HUGE! He won the Volvo Award for Excellence in Research and his work spawned 45 (so far) other studies.
So, again, why have so few people heard of the Biering-Sorensen test and yet it is the single most important number when assessing your risk for developing back pain?
I don’t know. Seriously, it seems crazy to me that something soooooo important is sooooo unknown to the majority of people. Especially those people who have already seen an ‘expert’ for back pain. If they are an ‘expert’, then shouldn’t they be current on the relevant research?
Is there some sort of back pain conspiracy? Is the ‘medical community’ purposefully not telling us in order to keep Physical Therapists, Chiropractors, Spine Surgeons, and drug companies in business? Will there be a rock with a note tied to it telling me to “keep quiet about this” thrown through my office window tonight?
This is where I get off tangent and back on track:
What is your Biering-Sorensen number? In other words, what is your risk of developing back pain?
Your HomeWork this week is to find out.
Here is how you do that:
Get a firm edged bench that you can hang off the end of at your pelvic bone level.
Have a friend, significant other, co-worker, neighbor, or sack of potatoes hold down your feet and position yourself with the bony part of the front of your hips/pelvis on the edge of the firm edged bench. So this has roughly the top half of your body hanging off the edge of the bench.
Here is a drawing of what this looks like.
If you have a back extension bench you will be able to exactly mimic the drawing.If not, then be creative and re-create the position as best as possible. A large exercise ball will NOT work as it is too soft and changes the forces that are put on the body.
You need a firm edged bench, or massage/physical therapy table.
Hold this position WITHOUT DROPPING OR SWAYING for as long as you can. And I do mean “as long as you can”.
Time how long you can maintain a flat out (perhaps slightly inclined) position.
This is your Biering-Sorensen number. From this you can determine your risk of developing low back pain over the next year.
That’s it!!
Write down that number.
In the next installment/HomeWork I will give you the ‘punchline’ and you can compare your number to what the scientific data says you should be able to do!
Have a great week,
MRoss
