Lumbar flexion can be ok for you.
Why this matters:
The low back consists of multiple joints that move in all directions. Movement itself isn’t bad, and there will be cases in which you have to round your back to pick something up or even sit. Forward bending became demonized because the rehab and movement professionals claimed that it was bad for you. As a result, we became fearful of this motion. Flexion, or rounding is also quite beneficial for folks dealing with lumbar spinal stenosis (specifically in the foramen); that means feeling better in sitting and worse with walking and standing.
If you’re in acute pain and rounding is painful, wait until you’ve had a week of being pain free before reintroducing flexion back into your life.
Action steps:This video shows how you can safely add flexion into your life. Again, this is if you notice that rounding is helpful, or if you’ve been pain free for about a week. Take it nice and slow and feel each movement.
