Recently, we have been exploring the #spine on the blog. Now it is time to put your new found knowledge to work!
Take a look at the gallery of exercise images from our #corevalues series #moveit and get the exercise details here. Your spine moves in 4 major ranges of motion- flexion, extension, twisting and side bending. This #moveit series takes you through all of these planes using your core to move your spine!
Everyone's spine is very different. Everyone experiences pain very differently. A large number of people have either bulging or herniated discs with no symptoms. HOWEVER, those of us who have had or do have symptoms know how painful nerve pain can be!
In our Vertebra Break Down we talk about discs in a more technical manner. Intervertebral discs are circular cushions that live in the spaces in between vertebral bodies, helping receive and distribute pressure down through the spine. Discs are kind of shaped like jelly donuts (flatish, circular and filled with gooey liquid). In a healthy spine, there is equal pressure running through the discs--no one part (front, sides or back of the circular disc) is receiving more force. When your spine becomes imbalanced, the vertebrae can shift in a way that weights one part of the disc more than another, causing the jelly to move over to the opposite side causing a bulge on that side, and in some cases, the jelly shoots out and your disc herniates. This bulge of viscous liquid or expulsion of liquid can put pressure on the nerves that exit vertebral segments and enervate particular parts of your body. When this happens, you may experience weakness, tingling or pain in the referred area.
Image credit: cedars-sinai.com
Image credit: Hopkins Medical
Certain parts of your spine correlate to certain parts of your body. Your spinal cord comes from your brain and continues down your spine like a long horse tail. Nerves exit different parts of your spine and continue out into your body and limbs. For instance the nerves that enervate your arms and upper body leave your spine at the cervical (neck) level. The nerves that enervate your lower body leave your spine from your lower back. The place where the nerve leave the spine is called the "nerve root". When a nerve root is compressed or aggravated by a change in the shape of your disc, the pain will shoot to the place in your body that particular nerve travels. This is called "referred pain". This pain can be felt as weakness, tingling, burning or numbness.
Hopefully this post can help explain why, when you are feeling pain or experiencing weakness somewhere else in your body, it is possible that the problem originates from your back. We always look for a healthy, elongated, supported, strong and balanced spine so that we can avoid the types of imbalances that cause disc bulges and herniations!
If you think you are having nerve pain, it is best to consult an orthopedic doctor and not self diagnose.
Last time Shorty Introduced you to the parts of your #spine. But what about the individual vertebrae that link together to make up your spine? We should understand their structure too! Knowing a little bit about how individual vertebrae are shaped will help you move them well and understand what's going on if you or someone you love has back problems.
We will cover just a few elements of the basic structure of a typical vertebrae. You should know there is variation in the structure of the vertebrae based on what segment of the spine they are located. Cervical, thoracic, lumbar and sacral vertebrae all have different shapes and sizes based on the function of the portion of the spine they are in and what demands for movement or stability they require. When we talk about vertebrae, we name them with the first letter of the portion of the spine they live in and their number. We number vertebrae from top to bottom or head towards tail. For example the vertebra closest to your head in your thoracic spine is called T-1. Your lowest lumbar vertebra is called L-5. (See more here.)
Vertebral Body
Image from Wikipedia
This is the largest part of the vertebrae and is shaped like a cylinder. Your intervertebral discs are cartilaginous cushions that live between each vertebral body, joining them together. These discs help allow the vertebrae to move and provide shock absorption. Each disc is made of connective tissue and has a softer central portion, know as the nucleus pulposus, and tougher surrounding tissue called the annulus fibrosis. The vertebral body is the anterior portion of the vertebrae. Anterior means closer to the front of your body. In other words the vertebral bodies and discs are the front side of your spine.
Spinous Process
Lumbar vertebra image from Wikipedia
This is the part of your spine you can see when you round your back or feel when you run your hand down your spine. Each spinous process is connected to the the vertebra above and below it by ligaments and muscles. The spinous processes also serve as an attachment point for a number of muscles like your Latissimus Dorsi (T6-T12), Trapezius (C7 to T12) and Multifidus (All vertebrae). The spinous process is the part of the vertebral arch or posterior portion of the vertebrae. Posterior means towards the back of the body. Check out this dinosaur, the Spinosaurus, that had crazy big spinous processes !
Transverse Process
The transverse process are boney points that stick out to the sides on each vertebra and also serve as an attachment point for muscles and ligaments. Examples of a few muscles with attachments on your transverse processes are Levator Scapula (C1-C4) and Quadratus Lumborum (L1-L4). Each vertebra has two transverse process on the right and left side. You could imagine these like arms or wings.
Vertebral Foramen
The spinal cord passes through each vertebrae's vertebral foramen. The vertebral foramen is the hole between the body and the vertebral arch. All of your vertebrae stack on top of each other and together form the spinal or vertebral canal. This is a passageway for your spinal cord.
These are just the first few land marks to get to know your vertebra! Keep your eyes peeled for more #spine posts to deepen your knowledge.
Hi there! Today I want to break down the different parts of the spine.
When speaking anatomically, the spine is seperated into a couple different regions. The vertebrae are counted from the top down. Your cervical spine (C1-C7) holds your skull at the top and continues down to become your neck. Next comes your thoracic spine (T1-12). Each thoracic vertebrae connects with a rib on either side at the transverse processes of the vertebrae (the little arms that stick out to the side). Next comes your lumbar spine (L1-L5). These vertebrae are larger and they make up your lower back. They connect to your sacrum, which is 5 fused vertebrae that lie in between your two pelvic halves and look kind of like a cupped hand or curved triangle. Your coccyx, or tailbone, is at the bottom.
Stay tuned for more info on individual vertebra and some #moveit posts to get your spine going!
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Human_vertebral_column
