Flexion, Extension, and the Neutral Spine

In the lifting community there seems to be this idea that one must maintain a neutral spine while lifting to avoid injury and/or lift the most weight possible.

Where did this idea come from? What exactly is a neutral spine and is it possible or beneficial to maintain this neutral spine while lifting?

I think this idea gained popularity with Dr. Stuart McGill research. McGill is famous for taking pig cadaver spines and bending them over and over again until they broke and found that if you flex a dead pig spine over and over again eventually the disc herniates. So this must be the cause of back pain in living humans, right?

Let’s look at some research in actual humans and see what we find

1. In the first study we see that lifting low loads with a flexed spine is no more dangerous then using a neutral spine. This study only looked at lifting light weight and didn’t have a huge sample size so it isn’t without limitations so we can’t use this to directly say lifting with a flexed spine in general is safe.

2. In the next study’s we see that there is significant movement through flexion and extension in some common lifting movements, the squat, the good morning and the kettlebell swing. Within a squat, there is 40° of flexion occurring, 26° of flexion during a kettlebell swing, and 25° of flexion during a good morning. This is even when the test subject was told to hold a neutral spine through out.

3. Next we see a study that shows there is significant movement in the lumbar spine in all three planes of motion in between and during their squat and this was only at 70% of their max.

4. The next study shows how people with low back pain tend to lift without as much motion through the spine then those without back pain.

5. Next we have the atlas stone. A strongman event that has been around since the beginning of strongman. In order to complete this event, one must start with an almost fully flexed spine and lift the stone to a platform by fully extending their spine. How come everyone who has ever done stones spine hasn’t exploded.

6. Take all of this in while remembering Humans are living organic beings that adapt to stresses placed on them

What do you think of these studies? What are your thoughts on lifting and a neutral spine? Leave your answers in the comments I would love to discuss!