This article is a transcribed edited summary of a video Bob and Brad recorded in March of 2024. For the original video go to https://youtu.be/jyNt7yf3RZ8
Mike: The cocoon method is a very successful way to treat back pain.
Brad: Now the cocoon method is actually based upon the idea most back pain is irritated by continued assaults or irritations throughout the day.
Mike: So the idea is to identify what is causing these bouts of pain and to eliminate them completely.
Brad: Right. And the cocoon method actually makes sense once you understand it. We're going to explain it in detail.
Mike: It'll turn you into a butterfly.
Brad: Mike! So the whole concept of this cocoon method is actually to learn how to stabilize the muscles around your back and spine so that you can move more efficiently and without pain.
Mike: So we're going to show you how you can get in and out of bed. Then we're going to focus on transferring in and out of a chair. And last, we're going to go over how you can pick up and carry objects without having back pain.
Brad: Right. So all three of these concepts we're talking about, or movements are very commonly assaults or irritants to back pain. First, we're going to address how to avoid starting back pain right away in the morning by how you get out of bed or how you move around in bed. Now if you look at your spine, we want to stabilize the muscles with core muscles around the spine being in your abdomen as well as your lats. Now if you get out of bed, like Mike's going to show the wrong way to do it. A lot of people will rotate their hips and keep their shoulders still. And what that does is it twists and puts torque on the spine. We don't want that. We want everything to move together stabilizing the spine in one stable motion, therefore taking stress off the spine.
Mike: So this is called a log roll. Now to do it wrong, if I just twist my trunk putting a lot of twist in my spine itself can cause pain and irritants.
Mike: So a common thing to do is keep your whole core moving together. So basically you move your shoulders and your legs together simultaneously. This is the log roll. Once you're in this position, oftentimes you want to try to shift your legs off the mat and push with your arms to get up.
Mike: Now we're going to go through some little nuances between that depending upon what makes your back pain feel better. The first thing you need to look at is when you're in a hook lying position before you even roll, what position is your spine in? Is it too arched?
Mike: Or is it too flexed?
Mike: Now find the position that feels best for you. If you feel better having an extended spine, start in this position. If you feel better with the back of your back into the bed here, then start in this position. Once you find a comfortable area for your spine, start rolling over to your side.
Brad: All right, now the next way to work with the cocoon method is to tighten up the abdominal muscles, which helps support the back and keep it from moving in a way that irritates it. So one way you can do this is actually take your fingers, put them on the sides of your stomach, push in, and then tighten up and you should feel those muscles tighten. Now if you feel the muscles on the sides tighten, that's a good thing. It's probably your transverse abdominus. You don't need to know that, but that's the goal that's going to help support your back. Just like a back belt would. Mike go ahead.
Mike: So I am engaging my core and then I'm going to roll to the side. Again, make sure you're breathing. Don't hold your breath just to keep the core engaged. I'm talking right now and my core is engaged. And then again, you're going to do the same concept, keeping that core tight as you push up into this position.
Mike: Now that is another option. So first, flexed arched back, try that, then try this. We're going to go into a third option that may work for some people.
Brad: All right, now the third and final technique is actually to stabilize the spine by tightening the latissimus dorsi. These are the muscles that connect from the shoulder blades of the humerus and they are wide broad muscles, they're strong and they connect to the lower back. Mike's going to connect those and actually tighten them by shrugging his shoulders down and I can actually feel the lat muscles tighten up and that's going to stabilize that spine. So you go down and feel them tighten up. Go ahead Mike, show them on the bed.
Mike: So again, starting in hook lying position, you're going to do the anti-shrug or pull down. Now I'm pulling down, I'm going to do the side rolling again, while I'm still engaged pulling down, I'm going to push up with my arm. Roll in one continuous motion and do it that way.
Mike: Now you're going to pick which one. It's very hard to try to anti-shrug and engage the core at the same time. Do which one feels best for you when you're getting from a lying down position to a seated.
Brad: That's right. Now we're not just making this up. This has actually been field-tested with patients and it's really fun to watch a patient get out of bed and they smile and they say, "It didn't hurt when I tightened up my stomach." This really works. Take your time with it. It doesn't come really easy because you have to think about muscles tightening up in different locations, but it can be very effective.
Mike: Now if you are a stomach sleeper, Brad's going to demonstrate how you can get up using any of these three methods. Again, you do the same things just from this position.
Brad: So it's a little different, but you can actually see this better. Now if I'm from my stomach position and I actually arch my back more and that feels better, then I'm going to proceed. How you get out of bed from your stomach if you have back pain is a little different, you simply slide to the edge of the bed down with one leg until you feel your toe touch the ground. At that point, I'm going to maintain a strong back, like it's in a cocoon. It's not going to move or rotate. And then I take the other leg and I keep everything straight. I don't get all twisted up. Keep everything straight. Use your hands to stabilize and lift your body up and get up and you're nice and tall and straight.
Brad: Now the same thing applies if arching, it hurts, but if you round your back like this and that feels better, you get out the same way. Now if you want to try tightening your abdominal muscles, that's actually similar, particularly in prone or on your stomach. When you tighten your abdominal muscles like I am right now, it rounds your back a little bit. That's just the nature of it. Again, come out touch with one foot, the other foot walk up.
Brad: The last one is tightening your lats. So from your stomach, do the shrug down, that's going to pull your elbows down then you know you're doing it right. It works out well because your elbows need to be there anyway. And proceed, first, toe touch, everything moves together, everything moves together, and slowly and up you go. Keep good posture throughout the day, like the cocoon is there, your back will get better.
Mike: So the first thing you want to do is find a chair with an armrest. If you do not have an armrest, we'll show another option for that. But when you're standing up, do not have your feet close together. This makes it more awkward on your back, especially try to have your feet a little bit wider apart, a wide base. Scooting towards the edge of the chair can also be beneficial for some people. Now if you do not have an armrest to push up from, you can simply take your hands, kind of make a hook shape, and push up from your thighs. Now this is going to be dependent upon what feels better for your back. Some people with back pain feel better when they're flexed. Some people feel better straight or extended. If you feel better in a flex position, you can simply flex over, push from your hands, and get up this way.
Mike: Now some people, this is going to create back pain. So what you actually want to do is try to keep a nice neutral spine. You can do this from this position like Brad will show or just use your armrest. Try to keep a nice straight position when standing up.
Mike: A simple way, if you're not recreating pain while doing this to check, is actually to grab your seat pan, flex your spine, and pull up. If this creates pain, this means flexing your spine is worse. Next, go into a straight-back extension position and pull up on the seat pan. This makes the pain worse. Extension is worse for you. So do the opposite.
Mike: So once you figure out what position your spine wants to be in, we can try the other option as well. So we're going to first tighten the abdominal muscles again, as Brad showed, push out into my stomach muscle, say I like the extension pattern. We're going to keep my core engaged tight pushing out as I stand up with a nice straight back. You can also do this in a rounded position if needed. It's a little harder when you're pushing your stomach out and flexing over, but it is possible help stabilize those muscles as well.
Mike: So that is an option for that. Now we can do the anti-shrugging. Pull down, pull your lats down, and do the same thing again, whichever position is better for you, pull down, and keep that core tight as you stand up can minimize the back pain you're experiencing.
Brad: I'll give an example of if it feels better with a rounded back. Just keep that in mind. That's where you want to be. Then some people will say, well, that doesn't make sense. You always say avoid that. However, if you're older or if you know you have stenosis, that probably will feel a little bit better than arching your back and getting up. Most people will probably feel better with the arch back. Now we're going to cover lifting and carrying an object. Obviously, if you have back pain, you want to minimize the weight you're lifting. But if you need to pick something up, it's very critical that you find out what your back response to the best. If I'm picking up this box, and typically for everyone, make sure your feet are wider apart. That is a given. It doesn't matter about your back. That makes you more balanced and stable. We're going to bend and lift with the knees, but you do want to find out if you round a little bit, does that actually feel better? Or if you come down and you arch and go better.
Brad: Typically, arching is what's taught for most people, that's probably going to be the way to lift. For some people, it may be more comfortable to flex. There are some reasons for that. We won't get into that. Do what feels the best and pain-free. Once you get it up to waist height, make sure that the box or whatever you're carrying is close to your body at the belt line. Don't bring it up to your chest. Keep it down low and close to your body makes a big difference. And then experiment. Does it help if I flex forward a little bit and carry it? Does it feel better that way? Does it feel better in a neutral position? Or maybe if you arch back a little bit, whichever way feels the best, listen to your body. It knows what's going on. We do not want to irritate it more. Okay, the next thing is to tighten up the abdomen. Oh, if you tighten that up, does that feel better? You're going to walk slower and think tight. Then experiment with the lat muscles where I'm going to actually pull my shoulders down. Remember the muscle fibers I talked about supporting the lower back and try walking and carrying the object like that and see which one goes.
Brad: You have three options. Work what feels the best for your body, and again, if you have a hurt back, avoid lifting and carrying as much as possible.
Mike: I will add if you're doing something like groceries and oftentimes you have offset weight, try to make sure the weight is similar between the two sides. Also take more trips from the car to the house, versus loading up like I do.
Brad: Yes, good point. Very good point. That thing of offsetting the weight. If you lift 10 pounds, if you have five in each hand, it's much better than 10 pounds on one side.
Mike: So try all three of those options with each movement pattern we showed. Typically, if say the core exercise worked for one, it's going to work for all three. So just try them out, see what feels best, and more than likely stick to it with every position change you do.
Brad: What about another video?
Mike: If you want to check out more videos on how to improve your back pain, check out our video "Do These Exercises ONLY If They Improve Your Back Pain." This one has more exercises in it.
Visit us on our other social media platforms:
YouTube, Website, Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, Pinterest, LinkedIn, TikTok, Wimkin, Mewe, Minds, Vero, SteemIt, Peakd, Rumble, Snapchat, Clapper, Threads
Bob and Brad also have a Podcast where we share your favorite episodes as well as interviews with health-related experts.
For this week’s Giveaway visit: https://bobandbrad.com/giveaways
Bob and Brad’s Products
Pain Management:
C2 Massage Gun (US)
Q2 Mini Massage Gun (US)
Fitness:
Stretching:
Check out our shirts, mugs, bags, and more in our Bob and Brad merchandise shop
Medical Disclaimer All information, content, and material on this website is for informational purposes only and are not intended to serve as a substitute for the consultation, diagnosis, and/or medical treatment of a qualified physician or healthcare provider.
Affiliate Disclaimer: Keep in mind that we may receive commissions when you click our links and make purchases. However, this does not impact our reviews and comparisons. We are highly selective in our products and try our best to keep things fair and balanced to help you make the best choice for you.
Comments