Stretching Toward Better Health

A wonderful thing happened to me along my path to recovery from an injury, in 2023:  I decided to become a better steward of my health—body, mind, and spirit.  During that June, I injured by back while lifting a heavy solar battery.  The pain in my lumbar region was not new but it persisted.  So, I made an appointment with Dr. Bryce Chaffee, MD, Chiropractic Specialist.  Dr. Chaffee and his wife Tami are co-founders of Paragon Physical Medicine here in Wooster, OH.

The Stretching Began
During my first appointment with Dr. Chaffee, he utilized full-body X-rays and manipulation of my legs and fingers to identify three lower lumbar vertebrae with swollen discs.  He used this assessment to propose a plan which consisted of three visits per week for ten weeks. 

Each visit involved about 45 minutes of stretching routines under the direction of Dr. Chaffee’s capable staff.  Then, he provided chiropractic adjustments and polite encouragement to become more disciplined based on his faith-based, holistic view of human health.  During some of my visits, I received injections into various joints containing an extract from the Pitcher Plant (Sarracenia purpurea).  This formulation, aptly named Sarapin¹, is known to relieve musculoskeletal pain and inflammation. 

As my rigorous regimen of appointments became a significant part of my summer schedule, three changes began to occur.  First, I experienced relief from the pain in my lower back, legs, and knees.  Second, I became interested in the various bodily stretches to which I was subjected.  I decided to incorporate some of them into my daily routine during my off days.  And third, I began to study the causes of spinal problems. 

I was surprised to read that “an estimated 70–90% of all people in the US will suffer at least one back injury in their lives. Up to 25% become chronic.”  This statistic² was given by Dr. Richard Porter, emeritus professor of Orthopedic Surgery at the University of Aberdeen, Scotland.  I wondered how this could be if our bodies are “fearfully and wonderfully made” (Psalm 139: 14).  

Some of us do not have the slightest of back problems while others are plagued from an early age.  Could it be our heredity?  Maybe our problems come from faults in the divine design of God; or, from a failure of Darwinian evolution to adjust the human posture properly as it became upright from our quadruped ancestors.  Or could our skeletomuscular problems be the result of sin and the curse upon creation?  Maybe our back problems are the result of our own lack of stewardship of the bodies with which we were born?  Let’s briefly examine each of these possibilities.

Blame It on Heredity?
There is no doubt we each begin our lives with differences in many genetic traits including those affecting our skeletal system.  Some people inherit congenital defects while others begin life with bones, joints, and postures that are prone to injury.  From a faith perspective, we are not given to understand why some of us are blessed to inherit better health than others.  However, we must remember the words of the Apostle Paul when explained why we should not to be “puffed up” (prideful): 
For who makes you different from anyone else?
What do you have that you did not receive?
And if you did receive it,
why do you boast as though you did not?
                                      - 2 Corinthians 4: 7

Given that our health is partly influenced by our heredity, the challenge for us is to be humbly thankful for what we have received and good stewards of our bodies and health.  We will return to this principle after we consider other possible reasons for skeletomuscular problems.

Blame It on Evolution?
Evolutionary biologists face a challenging dilemma when it comes to explaining the supposed evolution of the human skeletal system.  On the one hand, they are challenged to explain how the amazing assemblage of interconnected bones (206 bones in the adult human; 270 at birth)³ [See HERE.] could have evolved by undirected natural causes instead of by intelligent design⁴ [Click HERE].  On the other hand, evolutionary biologists must explain the pain and suffering humans frequently encounter from the spinal column, knees, and shoulders. 

Evolutionary scientists offer a creative way to address this apparent contradiction between “evolution is amazing” and “evolution is imperfect.” For example, anthropologist Matt Cartmill explains that evolution “doesn’t ‘design’ anything.” ⁵ Instead, it must progress slowly using the genes and traits it has available.  So, instead of yielding perfection, evolution “acts to yield function.”  In other words, evolution could have given us a much better skeletal system but it had to work with already evolved skeletal structures in our ape-like ancestors.  [But isn’t Dr. Cartmill ignoring the well-established biological principle that form and function are complementary?  What do you think?]

Anthropologist Jeremy DeSilva gives an example that applies Cartmill’s claim.^{5, 6}  In his presentation, “Starting Off on the Wrong Foot,” DeSilva reasons that the requirements of the human foot; namely, to provide a stable platform and a propulsive lever, are only partially satisfied by evolutionary modification from the grasping foot of our supposed tree-climbing primate ancestors.  Similarly, anthropologist and anatomist Bruce Latimer at Case Western Reserve University blames the painful problem of our achy backs on the poor evolutionary transition of the spine from the quadruped (four-footed animal) skeletal system to that of humans who are upright bipeds.

Extended a bit further, “evolution logic” is used to refute intelligent design.  This claim suggests that our supposed human skeletal flaws and frailties are evidence that our human skeleton could not have been intelligently designed.  Seems that evolutionary biologists want to have it both ways.  To learn more about the notion of “Scars of Evolution or of a Sin-Cursed World?”, click HERE.

But wait!  Is our skeletal system, spinal column in particular, really a poorly formed primate version carried over from supposed quadruped ancestors?  Not so, says Dr. Richard Porter, emeritus professor of Orthopaedic Surgery at the University of Aberdeen, Scotland.  Porter believes the human spine is “among the most ingeniously designed structures to be found anywhere?” ²   

The scope of the debates between evolutionary scientists and creation/intelligent design scientists is too broad to fully address in this blog.  However, the literature we have reviewed and referenced below provides strong evidence for intelligent design expressed by reputable scientists and practitioners in the field of orthopedics.  The table below provides a sampling of the contrasting logic of the two worldviews.

Blame It on the Curse of Creation?
Beginning in Genesis, the inspired revelation in the Scriptures supports a creation and intelligent design explanation for what we see in our world.  Genesis 1-3 gives the account of a perfect creation with perfect humans created by God and to whom God gave the responsibility to exercise dominion and stewardship over His creation.  Instead, they acted on their God-given free will to rebel against the order of God’s creation, and the consequence was a curse upon them and upon creation (Genesis 3). 

The results of the curse included expulsion from the Garden of Eden and gradual shortening of the longevity of human life as we can read in the carefully recorded and preserved biblical records of the lives of Adam and Eve and their descendants.  It is hard to refute the claim that sin and resultant moral and physical corruption has taken a toll on human health, including every organ and system of our bodies.  Instead of “evolution” to greater and greater intelligence and perfection, we have witnessed “devolution” which continues today biologically, spiritually, and intellectually.  The “design flaws” of the human skeletal system can now be understood more clearly in the context of the sin-cursed creation in which we live.  Thankfully, for those who place their faith in Christ, the downward spiral of our cursed creation has been thwarted by Christ’s victory over sin and death (Romans 8) which Christians celebrate each Easter.

A Call to Stewardship of our Health
The genes we inherit operate within the context of our experience of living in a sin-cursed world where our bodies deteriorate and eventually, we die.  However, the Gospel of Christ calls us to live in the hope of His return; and because of His promise, we are looking for New Heavens and a New Earth, in which righteousness dwells (2 Peter 3: 13).  But the hope of an eternal Heaven does not mean we can be careless about our health while we live on this Earth.

If we are Christ-followers, we must realize that our current health condition is both a consequence of past events and a call for responsible stewardship.  Our health is a consequence of two factors: our heredity and the environment.  Some of us have been exposed to work or recreational environments that have produced skeletomuscular injuries.  For example, some of our dearest friends now suffer injuries during their athletic careers during which they were devoted to the disciplines of conditioning, winning, and enjoying the opportunity to thrill their parents and peers in the stands.  Painful consequences, yes!  But still many have learned how to compensate and respond to the call to be stewards of their health. 

Regardless of our current state of health, God calls us to exercise stewardship of our bodies at every stage of life (emphasis added):

Or do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit
within you, whom you have from God?
You are not your own,
for you were bought with a price.
So, glorify God in your body (1 Corinthians 6:19-20).

This command of Scripture is broadly stated because God entrusts us with a good judgment to discern how we ought to steward our health, both physical and spiritual.  Our life in Christ with His Spirit living in us ought to empower us to manage our physical and spiritual health through proper nutrition, hydration, work, play, exercise, rest, reading, worship of God, serving others, and sleep—all done as unto our Lord (Colossians 3: 17, 23).  Depending on the consequences of our heredity and past injuries or illnesses, it may be more or less difficult to manage all of these in proper balance, but God only calls us to strive with the health and well-being we have. 

In my case, with proper chiropractic help, a mild back injury was not only relieved but it led to an improvement in my overall skeletomuscular health.  Dr. Chaffee’s request for a full-body X-ray revealed that my lower lumbar vertebrae were affected.  He concluded that I was on a path toward deterioration of the lumbar vertebrae and the disks that serve to cushion between them.  Dr. Chaffee also recognized my spinal scoliosis, a lateral (or side-to-side) curvature of my spinal column.  In addition, the X-ray image of my colon suggested that my intestinal microflora would be helped by regular ingestion of a probiotic supplement.  Finally, we discussed my protein intake and concluded that a regular supplement of a whey protein formulation along with careful attention to maintaining good hydration would be helpful.  I have incorporated these recommendations in to my daily routine and developed a regular regimen of stretching exercises.  I am convinced of the value of the holistic approach offered by the chiropractic profession.

A Stretching Plan for Stewardship of our Health
An unexpected result of my chiropractic visits and follow-up with the helpful stretches, nutrition, and hydration has been my opportunities to encourage others who have skeletomuscular problems.  However, I recommend starting with a visit to a good chiropractor, especially for serious problems.  [Of course, I recommend Dr. Chaffee for those who live near Wooster, Ohio.]  When friends ask what kind of stretching exercises I use, they are difficult to describe.  When I mentioned this to Dr. Chafee, he urged me to lay aside my modesty and fear of not offering a good example, and produce some videos of my stretch routines.

Stretching Videos:
We are in the process of producing a series of videos, one for each day of a 3-day rotation that we are currently using.  Each video offers an abbreviated demonstration of each of the stretches.  We also provide a compressed view of the spreadsheet we use to check off each stretching exercise in the sequence I follow.  [Click on Table to enlarge.]
Day 1 Stretching Exercises - Click HERE. 
Day 2 Stretching Exercises - Click HERE.
Day 3 Stretching Exercises - Click HERE.

Leave a Comment:
We invite readers who have questions or suggestions to respond using the “Comment” link below.  Stay tuned to see links to more videos.

References:
¹ “Sarapin:  Dynamic Pain Rehabilitation.”  2020.  Click HERE.
² Jonathan Sarfati. 2002. “Standing Up for Creation.” Creation 25(1):25–27.  Click HERE.
₃ “How Many Bones Are in the Human Body?”  2024.  Science Notes.   Click HERE.[JS1] 
⁴ “Creation’s Complexity Can Be Convicting.” Oikonomia, March 13, 2020.  Click HERE.
⁵ “Scars of Evolution or of a Sin-Cursed World?” Answers in Genesis.  News to Note, March 2, 2013  Click HERE.
⁶ Jeremy DeSilva. 2013. “Starting Off on the Wrong Foot,” AAAS.  Click HERE.
⁷ Paul E. Leimkuehler. 2013. “Human Foot and Ankle Versus Prosthetic Foot/Ankle Mechanism Function,” American Academy of Orthotists & Prosthetists.  Click HERE.
⁸ R. Smail.  1990. “Oh my aching back!” Creation 12(4):20–21.  Click HERE.

Acknowledgements:
Our thanks to Dr. Bryce Chaffee for his part in my healing and for his encouragement to overcome my sense of modesty to create the YouTube videos of stretching exercises that we hope will be helpful to others.  Thanks also to Anna, Matt, Courtenay, and Wendy for working with me through the stretching exercises; to Melissa for administering the Sarapin, and to Jaycee and Olivia for cheerfully handling scheduling and insurance matters.  Finally, our thanks to Nathanael Davis, Assistant Professor of Library Science, Cedarville University, for his assistance in searching the literature on the human spine.

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