The Physics Behind Back Pain

In this episode, Dr. Kevin Davenport discusses the human body as a living energy system—breaking down how heat and work drive everything from movement and metabolism to survival itself.

When was the last time you went shopping to buy electrons at the food store?  Well, it was the last time you shopped.  Listen to find out how our body extracts energy from electrons,. It is after all our metabolism.

From the University of Utah's Department of Biology comes the incredible idea that humans's evolved to stand up right in large part to breathe better, so we can run a long, long time.   They said, "We are born to run." 

It is the first milestone of our lives - when we walk.  It is healthy? Is walking faster better?   How do we determine our maximum speed?  All this and more in this podcast on moving. 

No question that the faster you are going, the more likely you are to get injured.  But what most people don't know, it is how quickly you stop that really matters.  It is all in the physics of trauma. 

From a hiatal hernia to varicose veins, pressure abnormalities can cause havoc in our bodies. 

Do you feet hurt after standing or walking?  Do they hurt when running?  The problem is likely how forces are being  unevenly distributed in your feet.  Listen as Dr. Richard Ingebretsen helps us know the physics of foot pain.

Do your knees hurts after doing squats?  Did you have knee pain after running?  All of this is explained by the physics surrounding our knees. 

You hike and the outside of the knee hurts, you play tennis and the outside of your elbow hurts, and sometimes you have pain on the inside of the knee.  What do all of these have in common?  Friction!  This podcast talks about how friction causes pain in our tendons,  muscles and joints.  

Your back is sore and it's not the first time!   While many things can cause pain in the neck and lower back, in the end the laws of physics play a major role.  Listen and find out how.