https://www.drhcjames.com/latest daily 1.0 2026-06-23 https://www.drhcjames.com/latest/the-low-back-system monthly 0.5 2026-06-23 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/684c7095bccb5c322855058d/a9c15175-fc15-4bdb-83bf-2f87c260cc30/unsplash-image-N4QiVIDrNFI.jpg Latest - Core Principles - The Low Back System How to deal with back and other pains https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/684c7095bccb5c322855058d/de1bb47d-aa56-42cb-820a-14bb76a1d71d/Freedon+vs+stability.jpg Latest - Core Principles - Make it stand out Fig 1. The further up the spine we go, the greater the mobility including rotation, bending forward and back, and side to side. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/684c7095bccb5c322855058d/ac8b501e-62f7-43f6-987e-0c33aa8cf160/Neck+strain.jpg Latest - Core Principles - Make it stand out Fig 2. To appreciate this, try the flowing exercise: slowly turn your head from side to side as you would normally, and note any tension. Now place your hands on your cheeks, tuck in your elbows and repeat, again turning slowly from one side to the other. Finally take your hands down and repeat the motion. Do you find the motion easier? Are you using your shoulders and rotating the upper spine more, rather than just twisting your neck? https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/684c7095bccb5c322855058d/83f7cd74-ddaa-4810-b565-c04c16e4bf7d/Heavy+to+the+strong.jpg Latest - Core Principles - Make it stand out Fig 3. Although a very powerful group of muscles, the lumbar muscles such as the quadratus lumborum are best used for stabilising or bracing and the actual lifting done by the buttocks and hamstrings. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/684c7095bccb5c322855058d/ff83c1b3-4904-4f2b-97d3-6a6eff5bb65b/The+desk+hunch.jpg Latest - Core Principles - Make it stand out Fig 4. If you were to spend several hours a day looking up at the sky, it would hardly be surprising to develop pain in the neck and shoulder, yet this is effectively what we are doing while hunched over with our cervical spine ‘extended’. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/684c7095bccb5c322855058d/dd6dd1bf-609a-41c3-87b0-f4736b7ad831/unsplash-image-SIqmq_6726Y.jpg Latest - Core Principles - Make it stand out Don’t neglect the flexors! https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/684c7095bccb5c322855058d/39afbbbe-f050-4fe3-b111-5359e139d5ea/Facet+joint+hypertrophy.jpg Latest - Core Principles - Make it stand out Fig 5. Chronic pressure on the facet joints, that project from the back of the vertebrae, can cause inflammation and hypertrophy, which in turn can touch or pinch the exiting nerve. (It is worth noting that there is no physiological reason why this can’t be reversed over time with the right alignment) https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/684c7095bccb5c322855058d/84f9e755-2d26-4e68-ae9d-206d5801256f/LBS+1.jpg Latest - Core Principles - Make it stand out We can use a classic ‘stock and flow diagram to visualise the low back system in action. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/684c7095bccb5c322855058d/15253f7a-a772-4de0-affe-37ba5b93b601/LBS+2.jpg Latest - Core Principles - Make it stand out Most systems make use of feedback loops in order to maintain a stock at an optimal level. These might be reinforcing (e.g. virtuous circles or vicious cycles) or balancing (if too much then the flow is dialled down and vice versa. With the right kind of movement and activity, function is maintained, or even improved - a reinforcing loop. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/684c7095bccb5c322855058d/c555775d-17c8-4b14-8854-aa14e272ca2d/LBS+3.jpg Latest - Core Principles - Make it stand out Pain should act like a balancing loop, protecting the function of the back by inhibiting further injury while it heals. Even so, careful activity will continue to build and maintain function, ideally leading to a return to normal activity. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/684c7095bccb5c322855058d/8605d3c5-4c31-4f5f-b5c5-5adb69b18675/LBS+4.jpg Latest - Core Principles - Make it stand out In the chronic scenario, pain shifts from being a balancing feedback loop to becoming a reinforcing feedback loop, leading to a loss of function, which in turn leads to more pain (it also affect proprioception). To make matters more difficult, activity decreases, no longer providing the beneficial reinforcing feedback to build function. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/684c7095bccb5c322855058d/9adf807f-c980-49a7-8c5b-5e578b7c5f63/Untitled+document+%286%29.jpg Latest - Core Principles - Make it stand out The ultimate aim of treatment is to restore the positive function → activity → function reinforcing loop. Perhaps the most important take home message is that chronic does not mean irreversible. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/684c7095bccb5c322855058d/3ffc71ce-0661-4987-9b87-3fe1c8d22ee5/LBS+and+PT+1.jpg Latest - Core Principles - Make it stand out What is your pelvis doing at this moment? Is tilted back or tipped forward? If you are anything like me, it will be the latter, and I am always having to remind myself to tilt it back. If I am sat down, this means putting my weight on my ‘sit bones’ rather than the back of my thighs. When I do it affects - positively - every aspect of my posture, with a more erect head, lower shoulders and easier breathing. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/684c7095bccb5c322855058d/c0f707fe-ad09-448d-9df4-01393a65d1b7/LBS+and+PT+2.jpg Latest - Core Principles - Make it stand out The benefits of tilting the pelvis back will be slightly different for everyone, but generally the flattening of the lumbar spine changes everything from position of the feet to the top of the head. https://www.drhcjames.com/latest/enter-the-regulators monthly 0.5 2026-04-21 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/684c7095bccb5c322855058d/1776757451506-6HDP9MCHPQXVNS61LBB7/unsplash-image-rM5ZHrQvUCc.jpg Latest - The Twenty-Four Hour Symphony - Make it stand out Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference. https://www.drhcjames.com/latest/life-force monthly 0.5 2026-04-07 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/684c7095bccb5c322855058d/1775573216588-DW8I2ULXDKE2JVCIUT9A/unsplash-image-R9L7ukhBSgs.jpg Latest - Life Force - Make it stand out Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference. https://www.drhcjames.com/latest/hfc4skdqpltpu0cumo3kxhsdgl2w1r monthly 0.5 2025-11-17 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/684c7095bccb5c322855058d/69f1d4cf-d4e0-40df-9a40-1249f20da94e/unsplash-image-QjUY7auDzUQ.jpg Latest - The Devil’s Nectar: The Science Behind Alcohol - Alcohol The Science of Drinking https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/684c7095bccb5c322855058d/bb9c7438-b90a-4617-a7b4-54d5f1a111ef/Alcohol.jpg Latest - The Devil’s Nectar: The Science Behind Alcohol - Make it stand out Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/684c7095bccb5c322855058d/a72f0944-2b65-46a5-abdc-22eceeee2a4c/Sugar+Explained+%282%29.jpg Latest - The Devil’s Nectar: The Science Behind Alcohol - Make it stand out Alcohol is broken down to acetaldehyde then acetic acid mainly in the gut and liver. Although the rate of alcohol elimination is roughly 1 unit per hour, factors such as food can have a significant effect on metabolism. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/684c7095bccb5c322855058d/f1435b55-e88c-4e44-bf96-c502f2fd0cc4/Sugar+Explained+%283%29.jpg Latest - The Devil’s Nectar: The Science Behind Alcohol - Make it stand out Many large scale studies over the past two decades show a slightly reduced risk among light to moderate drinkers compared to non-drinkers for diseases like heart attacks, type 2 diabetes and strokes. The risk then increases. https://www.drhcjames.com/latest/surplus-the-real-reason-we-put-on-weight monthly 0.5 2025-09-02 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/684c7095bccb5c322855058d/97414c3c-cea0-470e-8892-1373204c9e07/unsplash-image-6SMF42-JTAc.jpg Latest - Sugar: The real reason we put on weight, and how we can get back control of our health https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/684c7095bccb5c322855058d/0fe67d60-837e-43ac-b664-5ce407760c53/Glucose+Metabolism.jpg Latest - Sugar: The real reason we put on weight, and how we can get back control of our health Carbohydrate (glucose) metabolism: most glucose gets used up within a few hours, but around a fifth goes to the liver (and some to the muscles) for storage as glycogen. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/684c7095bccb5c322855058d/7e6fe0b8-6fa4-4992-bf12-619819fedf8b/Metabolism+of+Sugar.jpg Latest - Sugar: The real reason we put on weight, and how we can get back control of our health - Make it stand out Sugar Metabolism https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/684c7095bccb5c322855058d/ca49e4df-2551-42b7-8da5-8381dda00374/Role+of+Insulin.jpg Latest - Sugar: The real reason we put on weight, and how we can get back control of our health - Make it stand out Insulin allows glucose into cells and tells fat cells to store energy https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/684c7095bccb5c322855058d/368b847d-5a7a-4d8f-95b7-53d24ff952a9/Insulin+and+Leptin.jpg Latest - Sugar: The real reason we put on weight, and how we can get back control of our health - Make it stand out Leptin, released from fat cells, tells our brains we are full. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/684c7095bccb5c322855058d/da99517e-1fb2-4519-8cc8-8ca6dbf084ff/Chronic+Sugar+Consumption.jpg Latest - Sugar: The real reason we put on weight, and how we can get back control of our health - Make it stand out Chronically high insulin blocks the satiety signal, so we feel hungry despite being full. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/684c7095bccb5c322855058d/1a32652c-d1af-4223-a679-e329481c717b/Sugar+Explained.jpg Latest - Sugar: The real reason we put on weight, and how we can get back control of our health - Make it stand out Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference. https://www.drhcjames.com/latest/category/Travel monthly 0.5 https://www.drhcjames.com/archive daily 0.75 2026-06-23 https://www.drhcjames.com/archive/and-yet monthly 0.5 2026-05-06 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/684c7095bccb5c322855058d/d3511033-9f83-452e-a145-f7fe1f4a994c/unsplash-image-XRul91Dre1Y.jpg Archive - And Yet… - Make it stand out Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference. https://www.drhcjames.com/archive/fluid-intelligence-the-immune-system monthly 0.5 2025-09-02 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/684c7095bccb5c322855058d/1756188277288-LUE8LSFCYC470UH0UIUA/unsplash-image-slJUHpQEC0k.jpg Archive - Fluid Intelligence: The Immune System - Make it stand out Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/684c7095bccb5c322855058d/1756226657880-SCP6WE31Q2SPGVWNVKU5/unsplash-image-waAAaeC9hns.jpg Archive - Fluid Intelligence: The Immune System - Make it stand out Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference. https://www.drhcjames.com/archive/walk-the-road monthly 0.5 2025-09-02 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/684c7095bccb5c322855058d/1756107200703-626K5APL7EG9T5ELV87U/unsplash-image-IUY_3DvM__w.jpg Archive - Slow is Smooth, Smooth is Fast: How not to get stuck in mental ruts https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/684c7095bccb5c322855058d/ce4773e3-0fff-4c03-b28a-d88eeacae343/When+is+a+problem+not+a+problem.jpg Archive - Slow is Smooth, Smooth is Fast: How not to get stuck in mental ruts - Make it stand out Which shape has the largest border? https://www.drhcjames.com/archive/the-organising-mind monthly 0.5 2025-09-02 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/684c7095bccb5c322855058d/1756106745220-PSTSM3ZWP8PZX8KFLZEX/unsplash-image-4nabmlliGdU.jpg Archive - The Organising Mind https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/684c7095bccb5c322855058d/e8820695-8375-45f0-9e4a-42647a3283ce/Untitled+document+%285%29.jpg Archive - The Organising Mind - Make it stand out Schematising: organising information makes it easier to recall https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/684c7095bccb5c322855058d/0b4d660d-4c42-4c3c-ab64-6705641712e7/Sugar+Explained+%281%29.jpg Archive - The Organising Mind - Make it stand out Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/684c7095bccb5c322855058d/67671a94-3585-42f5-9d68-fe9f76b2f6f9/When+is+a+problem+not+a+problem+%281%29.jpg Archive - The Organising Mind - Make it stand out Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference. https://www.drhcjames.com/archive/fascia-the-hidden-web monthly 0.5 2025-09-02 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/684c7095bccb5c322855058d/8574a8f7-ea9a-46cf-be5a-0e859065c2f7/unsplash-image-xDtwYTQaofU.jpg Archive - Fascia: The hidden web that holds us together https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/684c7095bccb5c322855058d/62783413-153a-49e1-a109-8de321315536/unsplash-image-LsMxdW1zWEQ.jpg Archive - Fascia: The hidden web that holds us together - Make it stand out The spiral dynamic chain: when moving freely, the shoulders twist the opposite way to the hips, as in walking, dancing and going up stairs. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/684c7095bccb5c322855058d/01f99d99-14b8-4d44-9f5b-acd2f2b6bddd/unsplash-image-optBC2FxCfc.jpg Archive - Fascia: The hidden web that holds us together - Make it stand out A full squat. A simple and highly effective way to release low back pain (barbell optional). https://www.drhcjames.com/archive/category/Travel monthly 0.5 https://www.drhcjames.com/archive/tag/Travel monthly 0.5 https://www.drhcjames.com/about daily 0.75 2025-09-02 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/684c7095bccb5c322855058d/2114f8e7-2aee-415b-b69f-5b7556dcace0/IMG_1745.jpg