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Understanding Your Back
To take care of your back or to
heal it, you must understand it. Back problems do
not occur in a vacuum. The spine is not an isolated
body part.
The mechanical function of your
spine is affected by the alignment, flexibility and
strength of many parts of your body including:
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Foot, knee, leg alignment
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Muscle strength of legs,
buttocks, back and abdominal wall
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Abdominal protrusion (as with
pregnancy, or a beer belly)
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Hip flexibility
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Position of the pelvis
(tilted forward, back or to the side)
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Shape and flexibility of the
lumbar (lower back) spinal curve
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Shape and flexibility of the
thoracic (upper back) spinal curve
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Shape of the cervical (neck)
spinal curve
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Shoulder carriage and
mobility
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Position of the head in
relation to the shoulders
The state of your back is also
influenced by:
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Your genetic heritage
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Your home, work,
transportation, play, community
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Your emotional state
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Nutrition, body weight and
fat distribution
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Prescription and recreational
drugs
Spinal Anatomy and Function
The spine is a series of
interlocking spool-shaped bones called vertebrae,
supported by a complex system of muscles and
ligaments. The hollow spinal canal protects the
nerve tissue of the spinal cord.
The arms, legs, chest all attach
to the spine, via the shoulder girdle, pelvis and
ribs. The weight of the head is perched on the end
of the spine. Therefore, the spine affects and is
affected by every movement your body makes. For
example, if your head is not properly balanced, the
natural curve of the neck becomes distorted. If the
arms or legs don’t have full range of motion, the
spine must compensate by extra bending and twisting.
Inter-vertebral discs are thick
pads of cartilage that separate adjacent vertebrae.
The discs serve as shock absorbers and allow for
greater motion between vertebrae, and they
distribute weight over a large surface when the
spine bends. When discs degenerate, this weight
becomes concentrated on the edges of the vertebrae,
resulting in bone spurs. Discs have no blood supply
of their own and are dependent on sponge action for
attracting and absorbing nutrients from adjacent
tissues. During non-weight bearing rest, discs
expand as they soak up fluid. In weight-bearing
activity, this fluid is squeezed back into the
adjacent soft tissue, to be replaced by fresh fluid
during the next rest period. If these normal
healing mechanisms are inhibited by poor posture and
loss of flexibility, the discs become thin, brittle
and easily injured. This condition, called
degenerative disc disease, can lead to bulging or
herniated discs. The movement principles of yoga –
“spreading” (creating space in an area), “soaking”
(deep breathing during the stretch) and “squeezing”
(compressing fluids out of an area) – use the
physiology of the disc to help in healing.
Muscles that Act on the Spine
Running parallel to your spine
are the erector spinae muscles, deep muscles of the
back that support the spine in the upright
position. The erector spinae rotate the spine, bend
it backward and sideways, and influence posture by
helping create and maintain the proper spinal
curves. If the erector spinae are too tight, they
contribute to swayback. If they are too stretched
out, they contribute to a flat back. If they are
overworked, they can go into painful spasms. Yoga
helps maintain back health by both stretching and
strengthening the erector spinae.
The lower back is also
significantly influenced by three sets of muscles
that attach to the pelvis or the lumbar vertebrae:
the hip flexors (which raise the thigh toward the
chest), the abdominals, and the hamstrings (long
muscles on the back of the thigh). These muscles
can create a forward or backward tilt to the pelvis,
leading to an increase or decrease in the lumbar
curve. For example, because hip flexors attach to
the front of the pelvis, tight hip flexors will tilt
the pelvis forward, creating sway back. Tight
hamstrings will tilt it backwards, creating a flat
back. Weak abdominal muscles will allow the pelvis
to drop forward and will fail to support the lumbar
spine from the front.
Each of your joints is controlled
by at least two sets of muscles: the flexors (which
bend the joint) and the extensors, which straighten
it. In addition, a number of joints have rotator
muscles that twist, turn, or rotate the bones. Good
posture can only exist when the flexors, extensors
and rotators are in proper balance. But often the
muscles acting upon a joint are out of balance. For
example, the flexors may be tighter or shorter than
the extensors, so that the joint can not be fully
straightened; or the muscles that rotate the joint
in one direction may be stronger than those that
rotate it the other way. These unequal forces make
the joint weaker and more vulnerable.
Many people with back or neck
pain suffer from imbalances of the flexors,
extensors and rotators of the spine, arms and legs.
With an intelligent program of stretching and
strengthening (as with yoga) the muscle groups can
be brought back into balance.
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