Your Spine Was Built to Move
5-minute read
Back pain is one of the most common things we treat and if you’ve experienced it, you’re not alone. Around 84% of adults will deal with low back pain at some point, and many will experience repeated flare-ups from simple, everyday tasks like lifting laundry, loading the dishwasher, or bending over to tie a shoe.
At Atomic PT, we often work with people who are strong in the gym, people who deadlift, squat, and train regularly—but still feel vulnerable during everyday tasks.
Sometimes it’s because they’ve been taught to avoid using their back outside of “perfect” posture, and over time that overly cautious approach can backfire.
But we also see folks who’ve had one or two painful lifts in the past, maybe a tweak during a deadlift or an uncomfortable round of squats—and now avoid those movements entirely out of fear of reinjury. They often don’t feel confident in their form and aren’t sure how to return to lifting safely.
Whether it’s fear, confusion about technique, or not knowing how to rebuild trust in your body, we’re here to help you move forward, without guessing or avoiding the things you love to do..
Is Neutral Spine Always Necessary?
You’ve probably heard some version of:
“Never lift with your back. Always keep a straight spine.”
While maintaining a neutral spine can be helpful during heavy lifts like deadlifts or squats, it’s not how we move through daily life. Think about the last time you reached into the oven or unloaded groceries from your trunk—were you perfectly hip hinging like a kettlebell swing? Probably not. And that’s okay.
The spine was designed to move. It’s made up of 24 vertebrae—7 in the neck (cervical), 12 in the mid-back (thoracic), and 5 in the low back (lumbar). Each segment contributes a small amount of motion, but together they allow for flexion, extension, rotation, and side bending—creating the kind of fluid, dynamic movement you’d see in something like a yoga cat-cow.
Supporting all that motion are 40 muscles—some large and powerful, others small and stabilizing. These muscles work together to give your spine the strength, control, and adaptability it needs to move through real-world tasks—not just perfect lifts in the gym.
So Why Are We So Afraid to Move Our Backs?
Fear of movement is one of the biggest contributors to chronic or recurring pain. When someone has pain during flexion (like bending forward), they often avoid it entirely. Over time, this leads to:
Stiff joints and reduced movement capacity
Weakened stabilizers from lack of use
Over-reliance on “safe” movements
Increased sensitivity to load or stretch
It becomes a cycle: pain leads to fear, fear leads to avoidance, and avoidance keeps you from building strength where it matters most.
What the Research Actually Says
There’s no strong evidence to suggest that keeping a perfectly neutral spine during everyday tasks or even strength training lowers your risk of injury. In fact, movement variability and capacity are more predictive of resilience.
So instead of trying to stay rigid and braced in every scenario, we recommend building a spine that’s adaptable, one that can move in and out of flexion, rotation, and extension, confidently and without fear.
Our Approach at Atomic PT
We’re not here to tell you to avoid bending your spine. We’re here to help you rebuild trust in it.
At Atomic, we combine:
Movement screening to understand where and how your spine may be restricted
Progressive loading to build strength in all planes of motion
Strategies for managing flare-ups and staying active during recovery
Education that empowers you to move confidently again in the gym and in life
We love traditional strength work like deadlifts and back squats, but we also coach you through dynamic spinal motion—because real life doesn’t happen in just one posture.
Exercises to Build a Resilient, Adaptable Back
Here are a few of our go-to movements that train your spine to handle real-world demands:
Back Squat – Builds overall spinal loading tolerance
Barbell Deadlift – Reinforces bracing under heavy load
Kettlebell Romanian Deadlift – Targets posterior chain with less spine stress
Back Extension – Trains spinal extensors in isolation
Back Extension + Rotation – Adds controlled transverse plane motion
Jefferson Curl – Introduces loaded spinal flexion (when ready)
Kettlebell Swing – Develops power, hip timing, and core control
Diagonal Kickstand KB Swing – Trains spine + hip coordination with asymmetry
We use these exercises strategically based on where you are in your recovery and how your back responds to movement. The key is intentional progression—not just throwing new movements at you.
If you're tired of avoiding movement, or feeling nervous every time you bend over, we’d love to help.
Book a free 15-minute Discovery Visit to learn how our approach to back rehab is different. Or, if you’re ready to get started, schedule a 1-on-1 evaluation with one of our therapists and begin your plan to move stronger, smarter, and with less fear.
