Protecting Spinal Health When Working From Home - Dr Stu McGill - #270

**Chris Williamson** (0:00)
Oh, hello, friends. Welcome back to the show. My guest today is Dr. Stu McGill, the world expert in back pain. In this new working from home world, many people are changing their routines, desk setups and posture. Combined with limited access to gyms and less chance to move and exercise, this is the perfect storm for creating back pain. So I thought it would be a good opportunity to bring Stu back on the show to delve into his insight around spinal health. So today, expect to learn the number one cause of back pain Stu sees in his patients, why most physicians are wholly unprepared to deal with spinal injuries, why social media can stop you from being a master of your craft, whether our ancestors suffered with back pain, and much more. Lots of takeaways from today. And basically, I wish that I'd had this podcast four years ago because it would have saved me an awful lot of discomfort, but we have it now. Onto today's sponsor. This episode is brought to you by The Protein Works. 35% discount on everything site-wide at The Protein Works, including their phenomenal steel shakers. If you are still using a plastic shaker, bring yourself into the 21st century. It's not gonna smell because you've left some protein in it for a while. It's easier to clean. It's more robust. It's not gonna break. On top of that, their Vitamin D3 is absolutely needed. There is a pandemic raging right outside and Vitamin D3 is one of the best supplements you can take to boost your immune system. I use their Super Greens powder every single day. The Tropical Punch flavor is the one I use and it's awesome. It gives you a wonderful little base of micronutrients that you can start your day from. Just bolsters that fruit and veg intake. You're not eating enough vegetables. You know you aren't. Even if you're a vegan or a vegetarian, you can always have a little bit more. So Super Greens is a fantastic solution for that. If you're looking to put on some size this year, then their total mass matrix is Video Guideen's supplement of choice for him trying to pile on the pounds as he gets back into the gym. The Whey Protein 80 is a fantastic concentrate. If you're looking to just add protein into your diet, basically the whole range is really good. And I've filtered it down to my favorite products. You can see everything that I use and recommend by going to theproteinworks.com/modernwisdom and use the code MODERN35 for 35% off everything that's there, theproteinworks.com/modernwisdom and MODERN35 for 35% off. Go and check it out right now. While you do that, please welcome the wise and wonderful Dr. Stu McGill.
Dr. Stu McGill, welcome to the show.

**Stuart McGill** (2:53)
Thanks so much, Chris. A little bit of, what's the word now, familiarity. And I know I'm going to enjoy this, so I'll just let you work your magic.

**Chris Williamson** (3:06)
Thank you. Yeah, for everyone who's listening, you've been on the show before, Stu, and in between then and now, I decided to take a pilgrimage up to CU2, I was north of Toronto, so at the end of a road trip last year, I had been driving around a fair bit, so I got used to driving on the wrong side of the road. Flew on my own to Toronto, the first time I'd ever set foot in Canada, didn't realize I needed a different visa to that of the US, so got stopped at the border, had to sort a thing out, got into Toronto on a different flight, got a car, went up and stayed near Gravenhurst, and then came to see you and went out on your boat, and you did a huge, big, long assessment, and yeah, we've been in contact ever since, so it definitely feels like long overdue fondness, I think, today. And one of the first things that I wanted to discuss is just how different everybody's routines have become at the moment, that everyone's life has changed an awful lot since we last spoke, which is about 18 months ago, and people are working from home, they've got different desks, they've got different routines, perhaps with no gym, restricted exercise regime. What do you see as the biggest risks to spinal health for everyone in this new world?

**Stuart McGill** (4:18)
Yeah, well, there's no question that it's too much sitting primarily. When you look at not only spinal health, but cardiovascular health, mental health, every single one of those systems requires appropriate movement for optimal health.
Force movement really is one of the major languages of cells. And when they are starved of signaling, they will decline and lose optimal health. So that's a short and sweet answer.