Spines are mobile in three axes: extension/flexion (front to back), rotation, and lateral flexion. (side to side) For a lot of people, deadlifts can involve some extension and flexion and remain safe so long as there’s no rotation or lateral flexion. It’s ideal if the flexion/extension stays consistent through the motion (even if it’s not completely neutral)

That’s why it’s possible to safely deadlift 500lb then go home and throw out your back putting a 50lb box on a shelf at your side. It’s possible to train yourself to lift from awkward spinal positions safely, but it requires starting at a lighter weight and progressing carefully. Gladiator deadlifts are a neat way of introducing flexion + rotation.

congratulations on your progress, being able to get into alignment is a huge milestone!! on a similar journey myself, it’s a daily struggle but these things really can get better.

I mean, in that it requires you to go out, be somewhere in person, and makes it easier to do something else on the way back home. Not a lot better but if your movement is otherwise unstructured it’s better than nothing.

setting up for some simple movements at home can really go a long way though. and definitely wish more offices had some simple weights, mats etc on hand (excluding the offices that have a gym to encourage you to be at work all the time)

is there a name for the reverse of this? like making a change for yourself that works great for your needs, but then assuming that others just need to do the same thing?

I’m significantly less convinced by the supposed mechanics of craniosacral therapy - adjustment of the fused cranial joints in particular - but more generally, gentle rhythmic manipulation of lumbar fascia and neurofascia is something I don’t see focused on often in traditional deep tissue massage and subjectively it’s had surprising effect, especially when done by someone who specializes in it. There are a lot of important nerve connections in both areas that gentle, surface-level manipulation can affect. The aspects of craniosacral therapy that are probably bunk are at least not going to hurt you, unlike chiropractic. Worst case, it just won’t do much. I am interested to see if some of the basic manipulation techniques are integrated into other modalities in the future, even though their origin doesn’t hold up to scrutiny. And yes, like other alternative therapies, anyone claiming CST can cure illnesses is a grifter.

Several did show some positive short term effects, but it’s no surprise that several don’t. Dry needling isn’t going to cure pain on its own or work for everyone, much like other forms of bodywork. Individual results vary and it needs to be done over a long period of time alongside other work to restore stability and mobility. A supplementary treatment just needs to be low-risk, accessible, and possibly beneficial enough to try. The risks associated with dry needling are less severe than those of several common PT interventions such as corticosteroid injections. To say nothing of the risks associated with chiropractic.

The lack of a standardized placebo is a problem, yes. This study had pretty good results from using a blunted needle glued in an introducer. The patient feels the sensation of the introducer being pressed against skin and “pistoned” in, but the needle doesn’t actually make contact. In the group of people who had not received dry needling before, only one correctly identified that they had received the placebo.

You’ll find more study in the West of “dry needling”, a technique directly inspired by acupuncture. Here’s one recent review.

I see an acupuncturist because the results for me are great, she’s good at what she does, she does believe in germ theory, she practices in a sanitary way, and she doesn’t claim to cure illnesses. These are the norms for modern licensed acupuncturists. I’m not saying every acupuncturist out there is like this, hokey grifters do exist in alt medicine spaces, and that’s kind of my whole point. It really depends on the practitioner.

this is my general impression too, the origins of the practice is kinda bunk and it’s probably not worth the risk for a lot of people. I particularly dislike that a lot of people will see a chiropractor for pain before they’ll consider seeing a PT.

that being said, there are individual chiros out there that do good work. The main person I go to for non-chiro bodywork, who really knows her shit, sees a chiro herself and highly credits them for her recovery from pretty severe spinal issues. I’d probably see one only if I was referred from someone I trust.

but generally speaking there’s other alternative therapies I’d recommend over seeing just any random chiro. Acupuncture can be a game changer, and is starting to become less “alternative” as some PTs offer “dry needling” now. Craniosacral work can be great for some too, it’s a very gentle form of bodywork that can have a big impact nonetheless. Both of those are a lot less focused on manual adjustment, lowering the risk significantly.