Creep

CREEP

CREEP:

- Creep refers to a material property, specifically the tendency for something to become distorted

- If you squeeze something for a short period, it will snap back into place

- If you squeeze something for a longer period, it will deform, and take time to go back into place (see, for example, the picture below of the cleaning wipe container that I squeezed)

- If you hold something in a deformed position long enough, it may permanently deform

This can happen to different structures in your body- e.g., the lumbar disk

- It is important to move on a regular basis to prevent this deformity

- You may need to perform specific exercises in a specific direction to mold tissue back into the correct place

To give yourself an example of how this may affect you in real life, pull back on your index finger so that it is an extended position, and then hold it in that position.  At first it may be a little bit uncomfortable, but as you continue to hold it in that position, it will hurt more.

I very commonly see this occur in patients who sit at their desk all day- the hunch forward, and this shortens the tissues in the front of their body (the "anterior chain") and stretches the back of their body (the "posterior chain").  This can cause significant spine pain, and needs to be reversed with postural control exercises that stretch the anterior chain and strengthen the posterior chain.  The specifics may vary with each patient, but the concept remains the same.