Vladimir Janda was one of the most influential physical medicine physicians in the world at the end of the 20th century. A pioneer in the field of “low-tech” rehabilitation, he honed his skills in communist Czechoslovakia. While Western physicians produced “human waste” (Waddell, G. 1992) with surgical techniques for the lumbar spine, Janda consistently produced outstanding results in rehabilitating the same types of cases using wobble boards, sticks, exercise balls ( perhaps kettlebells) and most importantly your hands. After the fall of the Soviet Union and the formation of the Czech Republic, Janda and his colleagues became more accessible. In the early 1990s, a group of forward-thinking chiropractors and physical therapists began teaching Janda techniques in the West and changed the way most of us viewed physical medicine.

One of the most basic (but essential) concepts of Janda is the Lower Cross Syndrome. Lower Cross Syndrome is an epidemic in Western society because most people spend a large percentage of their time sitting. This can cause tightness and hyperactivity in the hip flexor group (iliopsoas, etc.) through a process known as reciprocal inhibition (defined as the contraction or activity of one muscle group that inhibits the contraction or activity of the antagonist muscle group) , the hyperactive or tight muscle The hip flexor group can actually inhibit the hip extensor group, more importantly the gluteus maximus. This imbalance then produces a secondary effect during walking. Since these people cannot produce hip flexion with the gluteus maximus, they begin to substitute the lower back extensors. In turn, they become tense and hypertonic and, through reciprocal inhibition, inhibit the abdominal muscles. Thus, it produces a “big belly, no butt” scenario (usually helped by poor diet and no exercise). Lifting and walking using primarily the lower back extensors causes increased biomechanical stress on the lumbar spine resulting in chronic pain, osteoarthritic degeneration, and herniated disc.

A key challenge for anyone dealing with low back pain is how to correct this dysfunctional pattern. In my old life (before kettlebells), I used wobble boards, exercise balls, and other “low-tech” solutions. While effective, the exercises tended to be cumbersome for the patient, and more than one exercise was often necessary. When I first started learning about kettlebells, I was thrilled to see how such simple movements (the swing, clean, press, and snatch), in addition to being amazing cardio and strength conditioning exercises, actually corrected many of the disorders of the pattern of movement that I had been taught to identify. . The most common of these is the Lower Cross Syndrome. What is surprising is that it seems that the swing was designed specifically to correct this pattern. Proper swing technique involves lowering the kettlebell through neutral hip flexion of the lumbar spine and then producing power through neutral hip extension of the lumbar spine (also known as a hip snap). This simultaneously stretches and relaxes the hip flexors, activates and strengthens the hip extensors (particularly the gluteus maximus), and teaches lumbar spine control. Additionally, the secondary part of the swing, the abdominal contraction at the apex of the swing facilitates and strengthens the abdominals and relaxes and stretches the lumbar paraspinal musculature; a fantastic win/win scenario!

In short, performing or teaching the swing exercise not only puts you or a client/patient in shape, it also has a corrective effect on one of the most common dysfunctional lifestyle patterns in the Western world.