Understanding your spine, the way it works and moves is critical to finding the right back pain treatment when back pain or injury creeps in.

People don’t really think about their spines until back pain rears its ugly head. The spine is not one continuous structure that extends from the neck to the tailbone. It is an intricate, complex group of several structures.

Some understanding of the spine can help individuals make informed decisions before getting involved in activities that can cause a spinal injury.

Anatomy

The spine is made up of 24 vertebrae, these are the bones stacked on top of each other and forms the spinal column.

The spinal cord passes through the vertebrae that acts as a protective frame.

The spinal column surrounds the spinal cord like an electrical cord. It protects the nerves that run from the brain, through the spinal column and out to the rest of the body.

The spinal cord is the highway of nerves that carry the brain’s signals to the rest of the body, allowing the ability to move the arms and legs, etc.

The soft, spongy shock absorbers in between the vertebrae are the intervertebral discs.

They keep the vertebrae separated so smooth function and movement is possible.

Because the spine is such a complicated network of bones, discs, muscles, nerves, and ligaments, getting to the bottom of exactly what’s wrong when back pain sets in can be a complicated process. This is where having some knowledge of your spine can help a doctor or chiropractor figure out what’s going on and then developing the best treatment plan possible.

Time

Dealing with time can be a tricky issue when suffering from back pain.

When only soreness, stiffness and muscle stress occur every so often then time can be the best medicine, as rest is all that is needed for the swelling to go down.

But when the pain does not go away with rest and is getting worse, waiting for evaluation is not an option.

Imagine all of those complex structures in the spine as dominos in a row.

If one domino/disc falls or slips pressure is placed on all the other dominos/discs to work harder to support the failing structure. But they can only do this for so long until the other discs or other areas of the body begin to fail.

Left untreated will eventually cause the failure of other structures of the body.

Strong Spine

It was designed to support the entire body combined with the additional weight that we carry.

It deserves care and respect.

Unfortunately, it is not made of titanium and is susceptible to injury.

Spinal Nerve Compression

When a spinal nerve gets compressed, entrapped, or pinched it becomes inflamed and pain sets in. In the illustration of a neck spine segment, many different disorders are causing the nerve compression in this instance:

• Herniated disc
• Thickened ligament
• Bone spurs called osteophytes

Making sure to pay close attention to your spine will safeguard it. So spend some time to understand how your spine operates.  Looking at some basic yoga for back poses can be a great start to understand how your spine functions.

What is Yoga?

In its purest form, it is an ascetic and spiritual discipline that comes from Hindu culture. It involves simple meditation, breath control, and performing body postures.

While an ancient practice long used for spiritual and emotional healing as well as physical wellness, yoga has been adopted in western culture and widely accepted as a form of fitness as well as a therapeutic practice used for relaxation and overall good health. It focuses on inward healing with outward results.

People who practice regularly find they are:

• More centered
• Handle stress better
• More flexible
• Have better mobility
• Have stronger leaner bodies

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NCBI Resources

The spine is a complex structure. Understand that the spine is also surrounded by fibrous and muscular supporting structures, intervertebral discs, the spinal cord and nerve roots, and blood vessels. An injury such as a back sprain or strain caused by improperly lifting and twisting simultaneously can often be a cause for back pain. Chiropractic care is a well-known, alternative treatment option utilized to prevent, diagnose and treat a variety of injuries and conditions associated with the spine, primarily subluxations or spinal misalignments.