The spine plays a crucial role in our overall health, and imbalances or misalignments can have far-reaching effects. The relationship between the spinal column and various bodily functions is complex, and understanding this connection can be key to addressing various health issues.
1. Spinal influence on bodily functions : The spine houses the spinal cord, which transmits signals between the brain and the rest of the body, affecting everything from movement to organ function.
2. Kinesiological chain reactions : Misalignments or imbalances in the spine can lead to a cascade of effects throughout the body, potentially causing pain, discomfort, or dysfunction in seemingly unrelated areas.
3. Impact on body cavities and spaces : The physical state of the spinal column can influence the openness or closure of spaces and body cavities, which may affect organ function and overall health.
4. Multidimensional approach to health : Recognizing the spine’s role in overall health encourages an interconnected approach to wellness, considering the interconnectedness of bodily systems.
By understanding the spine’s impact on health, individuals can take proactive steps to maintain spinal health, potentially reducing the risk of various health issues and improving overall well-being.
The body’s relationship with its environment and internal structure is intricately connected. Routine habits influence anatomical distortion within the body. Anatomical distortions can then lead to misalignment, affecting posture at gross level and overall alignment. Our posture reflects our relationship with gravity, influenced by how we interact with the earth’s gravitational forces. As a result, body signs and symptoms indicate underlying issues, with subtle changes serving as early warnings for more significant problems.
Visible Form (Tip of Iceberg) : postural issues, showing signs/symptoms leading to ill health and diseases.
Submerged Form (Bulk of Iceberg) : Physical habits often less apparent but impactful ,leading to anatomical distortion and impacting physiological functions of organ systems.
Interplay: Addressing habits (submerged part) prevent or mitigate visible symptoms.
Considering both visible symptoms and underlying habits is crucial for health.
Understanding habits’ impact on anatomy/physiology could guide interventions to prevent and improve state of Health.
Moreover, these visible symptoms are often just the tip of the iceberg, with underlying issues hidden beneath the surface. The apparent symptoms or issues might only be a small fraction of the underlying problems, and there may be more significant, unseen issues that are not immediately apparent. Therefore, addressing the visible symptoms might not be enough; it’s essential to explore and understand the underlying causes to achieve lasting resolution. By acknowledging this complex interplay, we can emphasize awareness and proactive care in maintaining optimal bodily function and preventing potential issues.
The human body’s interconnectedness is remarkable, with the spine playing a crucial role in facilitating communication between the upper and lower parts of the body.
The spinal column’s structure, including its curvatures and discs, enables it to:
1. Absorb shock
2. Maintain balance
3. Allow range of motion
4. Increase strength
5. Protect vertebrae from fractures
6. Distribute and neutralize compression stresses
This intricate system highlights the importance of spinal health in overall well-being, emphasizing the need for proper care and maintenance to ensure optimal function and prevent potential issues.
The Human Body’s Vertical Structure
The human body’s vertical structure, supported by two legs, relies heavily on the musculature’s elastic properties for stability. Continuous contraction and strain can lead to:
1. Muscle Fatigue : Reduced muscle performance and endurance.
2. Musculoskeletal Issues : Strain on muscles, tendons, and ligaments, potentially causing pain and injury.
3. Postural Problems : Altered posture and biomechanics, affecting overall movement and stability.
4. Muscle Fatigue and Deterioration : Decreased elasticity, reduced flexibility, and increased stiffness.
5. Muscular Spasm : Painful contractions that can further exacerbate the issue.
6. Joint Wear and Tear : Decreased joint spaces, increased friction, and inflammation.
7. Degenerative Changes: Formation of osteophytes (bone spurs) and calcification, leading to instability and vulnerability.
The musculature plays a crucial role in maintaining posture, facilitating movement, and absorbing shock. When subjected to continuous strain,leading to pain, limited mobility, and decreased quality of life. it can lead to various issues affecting overall health and well-being.
The muscular architecture has its own ancient memory governed by universal laws, exhibiting natural behavior patterns that promote muscle elasticity for joint and overall spinal stability and mobility.
This inherent wisdom is reflected in concepts like:
1. Proprioception : The body’s ability to sense its position, movement, and tension in muscles.
2. Muscle Memory : The ability of muscles to recall and repeat specific movements or patterns.
3. Movement Patterns : The inherent sequences of movement that muscles follow, influenced by their structure and function.
Benefits of Understanding Muscular Architecture :
1. Maintaining muscle elasticity and joint mobility
2. Improving spinal stability and overall movement
3. Enhancing muscle function and health through regular expansion, elongation, and restoration of natural patterns.
By respecting and working with these natural patterns, individuals can potentially improve muscle health, function, and overall well-being.
The muscular architecture plays a vital role in maintaining the body’s vertical structure and stability.With muscles bearing 70% of the body’s weight and 30 % by bones .
The most important property of muscle elasticity and expansion are crucial for:
1. Maintaining spinal stability: Muscles help support the spinal column and facilitate movement.
2. Promotion flexibility : Expansion in their natural patterns helps maintain muscles’ elastic quality, enabling them to stretch and move effectively.
While contraction and excitation are essential muscle functions, they occur passively , automatically.Therefore focusing on improving expansion to improve elasticity quality of muscles can help to enhance spinal health and overall stability.
Stiff musculature can lead to a loss of spinal curvature, compromising its shock-absorbing capacity during daily activities like sitting, standing, walking, and running. Moreover, engaging in physical activities like exercises, hobbies, or performing arts such as dance and yogasana with unnatural musculature patterns can lead to abnormal curvatures, distorted bones, and joints, putting more additional compressional stress on the spine and surrounding tissues. This can cause spinal instability, putting additional stress on inner soft tissues and organs. This can disrupt physiological functions, slow down organ systems, and potentially lead to permanent pathological changes. The body’s inner environment becomes imbalanced, struggling to cope with external demands. It’s essential to recognize the body’s subtle signals and address underlying issues rather than just masking symptoms.
Consequences of stiffening muscles:
Stiff musculature can lead to a loss of spinal curvature, they struggle to bear the load required for physical stability and compromising its shock-absorbing capacity during daily activities like sitting, standing, walking, and running. Moreover, engaging in physical activities like exercises, hobbies, or performing arts such as dance and yogasana with unnatural musculature patterns can lead to abnormal curvatures, distorted bones, and joints, putting more additional compressional stress on the central axis that is skull – vertebral and ribs cage along with surrounding tissues. This can cause spinal instability, putting additional stress on inner soft tissues and organs.All this process leading to abnormal stress on organs and tissues, compromised physiological function, and potential long-term damage. With stiff muscles, inner organ tissues have to take on the extra load, leading to potential strain, compromised function, and long-term damage. The body’s physiological functions become strained, slowing down organ systems, and potentially causing permanent pathological changes and inner environment imbalance. Importantly, the body sends subtle signals before major issues arise, making it crucial to recognize early signs and address underlying issues to prevent chaos within our bodily systems. This can disrupt physiological functions, slow down organ systems, and potentially lead to permanent pathological changes. The body’s inner environment becomes imbalanced, struggling to cope with external demands. It’s essential to recognize the body’s subtle signals and address underlying issues rather than just masking symptoms.
Consequences on Organ Function :
This extra load on organs disrupts their physiological function, leading to:
– Strenuous functioning
– Slowing down of organ systems
– Permanent pathological changes
– Inner environment imbalance
– Chaos within the body
1. The body sends subtle signals before major issues arise, emphasizing the need to recognize early signs and address underlying issues.
2. Nothing happens suddenly; it’s a gradual process.
3. The body compensates and sends signals through signs and symptoms, but often we mask these signals with temporary solutions.
Importance of addressing root causes :
1. Masking symptoms can lead to further complications and prolonged problems.
2. The body keeps on compensating, giving many small and big signals like the tip of the iceberg, signs, and symptoms.
3. Treating symptoms with chemical or physical mimicry rather than addressing the root cause can worsen the issue.
By recognizing and addressing underlying issues, we can prevent long-term damage and promote overall well-being.
Optimal muscle function requires:
Optimal muscle function requires a sequence of key points:
1. Reprogramming muscles’ ancient memory consciously
2. Maintaining muscle tone (expansion and elasticity)
3. Reducing dominance of passive contraction to prevent muscle hardness
4. Achieving smooth contraction and relaxation
This sequence emphasizes conscious influence on muscle function, optimal tone, and smooth movement patterns for overall muscle health and performance. This enables:
– Physical stability in movements
– Efficient functioning of inner organ systems
– Smooth, pressure-free movement patterns
– Workloads that are within their capacity to avoid stiffness and strain
Achieving this balance is key to maintaining overall physical and physiological health and preventing unnecessary strain on muscles and organs.
When we lose optimal function of muscles, we also lose the functional role of the spinal column. The spinal column’s three important functional roles include:
1. Shock Absorption : Normal spinal curves help absorb shocks from movement impacts.Without optimal curves, individuals may experience discomfort and pain.
2. Balance : Spinal curves maintain the center of gravity over the lower extremities. Allowing efficient sitting, standing, and walking. When balance is disrupted, discs between vertebrae can dehydrate, leading to structural deterioration.
3. Increased Range of Movement : Curvature changes allow for greater flexibility and movement. These areas of curvature are also potential weak links in the spinal column.
These functions are compromised when muscle function is suboptimal, leading to potential issues like discomfort, pain, and structural deterioration.
What happens in the body when we lose the segmental articulation in the back?
When we lose segmental articulation in the back, the body experiences a range of symptoms due to compromised spinal function.
Segmental articulation, or moving one vertebra at a time, is crucial for:
-Full-body control movement and stabilization.
Core / torso activation.
Awareness of connections between chest, abdominals, pelvis, and spine
Loss of segmental articulation leads to imbalance, causing symptoms such as:
Discomfort, stiffness, muscle spasms, and pain in the low back
Radiculopathy symptoms, including:
– Pain
– Tingling
– Numbness
– Heaviness
– Weakness in legs or hands
This highlights the importance of maintaining proper spinal articulation for overall spinal health and preventing related issues.
The Role of Muscles Attached to the Central Axis :
The sequential movement of muscles attached to the central axis, including the skull, spinal column, and ribcage, plays a crucial role in:
1. Stability and Support : Maintaining posture and supporting the spine.
2. Movement and Flexibility : Enabling movements such as extending forward and backward, bending, and twisting.
3. Core Strength : Providing a foundation for athletic performance and reducing injury risk.
Muscle Groups Involved
The muscles attached to the central axis can be categorized into several groups, including:
1. Vertical fibers : Muscles attached from the skull to the pelvis.
2. Horizontal fibers : Muscles attached from the spinal column to the shoulder girdle.
3. Muscles attached to the ribcage and shoulder girdle : Vertical and horizontal fibers that facilitate movement and stability.
4. Muscles connecting the spinal column, ribcage, and shoulder girdle to the pelvic girdle : Important for maintaining optimal spinal alignment and facilitating movement.
5. Front side abdominal pelvic muscles : Muscles attached to the ribcage and pelvic girdle, playing a crucial role in core strength and stability.
Importance of Coordinated Movement
These muscle groups work together to:
1. Maintain optimal spinal alignment
2. Facilitate movement
3. Support overall physical function
By understanding the role of these muscles and how they work together, individuals can take steps to maintain optimal spinal health and overall physical function.
The muscles attached to the central axis play a crucial role in stability, movement, and core strength to,
*Move the center from periphery*
Reclaiming Ancient Movement Patterns
Relearning natural movement patterns, especially in children, is crucial for optimal development and movement. This involves:
Key Principles
1. Rediscovering Ancient Memory : Reclaim innate movement patterns present in early development.
2. Conscious Learning : Encourage children to learn and practice movement skills consciously and intellectually.
3. Central Axis Movement : Focus on moving the central axis (skull, spinal column, and ribcage) from the periphery (extremities).
Insights from Nature
Observing animals, we notice they move their central axis from their extremities, enabling efficient and coordinated movement.
Benefits for Human Movement
By adopting this approach, humans can:
1. Improve Movement Efficiency : Enhance coordination and reduce energy expenditure.
2. Reduce Injury Risk : Promote optimal spinal alignment and reduce strain on muscles and joints.
3. Enhance Overall Well-being : Foster a deeper connection between the body and its movement patterns.
This perspective offers valuable insights into the importance of natural movement patterns for human health and well-being.
Muscle groups are important for maintaining optimal spinal alignment and facilitating movement.
such as
1.Vertical fibers of muscles attached from skull to tail to pelvis.
2. Horizontal fibers of muscles attached from the spinal column to the shoulder girdle.
3. Vertical and horizontal fibers of muscles attached from the Spinal column to the rib cage and shoulder girdle.
4. Muscles both vertical and horizontal fibers attached from.spinal column – ribcage – shoulder girdle to pelvic girdle
5. Front side abdominal pelvic muscles attached ribcage and pelvic girdle. They work together to maintain optimal spinal alignment, facilitate movement, and support overall physical function.
Modern Lifestyle Impact on Spine Health :
Today’s fast-paced and modern lifestyle has led to a common issue: loss of spinal curvature, resulting in a straight spine, even at a young age. This can accelerate degeneration, particularly at weak links in the spine, causing wear and tear.
Causes of Spinal Strain
1. Repetitive activities that strain the spine
2. Physically demanding jobs (lifting, pulling, bending, twisting)
3. Jobs or activities involving prolonged sitting, reading, writing, or computer work, leading to forward rotation of shoulders and hunchback posture
4. Studying (prolonged sitting, poor posture)
5. Physical exercises and activities like sports
6. Performing arts such as dance and yoga, where repetitive actions from joints can lead to fast wear and tear and degeneration
The Paradox of Modern Life
Everything seems to have become hazardous to health, and paradoxically, even activities meant for wellness, like exercise and therapy, can potentially lead to strain and degeneration if not done mindfully.
This highlights the importance of awareness, balance, and proper technique in maintaining overall well-being.
Prevention Strategies
1. Using safe and ideal movement techniques
2. Proper lifting and bending methods
3. Maintaining good posture and spinal alignment
By adopting these strategies, individuals can help protect their spine and reduce the risk of long-term damage.
Reclaiming Natural Patterns
To truly reclaim our natural patterns, we need to re-examine our relationship with our bodies and the world around us. This involves questioning the conventional approaches to exercise, movement, and therapy that may be contributing to the problem rather than solving it. By looking beyond the surface level and addressing the root causes of strain and degeneration, we can work towards restoring our natural patterns and promoting long-term well-being.How does the process of degeneration of the spine happen ?
How does the process of degeneration of the spine happen ?
There are different stages of degenerative disc disease, which can determine the signs and symptoms you
might suffer.
Stage 1 – inflammation
In our physical habits at the beginning the spine loses its normal balance or curvature due to imbalance of muscles and stiffness. During this time, there is continuous stress on the spinal column – vertebrae which brings distorted counter of the spinal column thus as a defence muscles further goes towards spasm to stop the movement then this process leads to decrease space between inter vertibral joints where pressure on the discs is continuous, pathways of nerves get pinched thus our posture get adjusted to compensate these forces . At this stage we are not likely to feel any pain but might experience some minor discomfort. We could also feel lethargic or experience changes in our posture to compensate for the slight degeneration of the discs.
Stage 2
At this stage, muscular Stiffness is more dense and our postural changes are greater as the degeneration is greater.
During this phase, a person is much more likely to feel some aches and pains as well as fatigue.
Unfortunately, many people will think the diminished energy and aches and pains are normal
and not a sign of degenerative disc disease. After some rest feels okay.
Stage 3
Further this process of distortion in the spinal column continues, and natural counters start damaging , compression is continuous and disc gets more dehydrated and dry . Thus distortion within is more and posture issues occur at this stage.
Age-Related Changes in Spinal Discs ;
As we age, our spinal discs undergo natural changes:
1. High water content in youth : Children’s and young adults’ discs have high water content, making them more flexible.
2. Decreased water content with age: As we age, the water content in discs decreases, leading to dehydration and reduced flexibility.
3. Disc shrinkage and narrowing : Dehydrated discs shrink, and the spaces between vertebrae are narrowed .
These changes can affect spinal health and mobility.
Further Degenerative Changes and Symptoms
As degenerative disc disease progresses:
1. Nerve compression worsens : More severe nerve compression occurs, leading to additional damage.
2. Bone spurs and osteophytes form : The body reacts to stress by forming bone spurs, which further compress nerves.
3. Increased discomfort and pain : Individuals may experience:
– Radiating pain in the hips, legs, and back (lumbar)
– Pain, tingling, and numbness in the neck, shoulders, arms, and fingers (cervical)
These changes can significantly impact daily life and mobility.
Let’s understand its related medical terms for deformities
Deformities of the spine alter the shape of the whole back.
Lordosis – it is a posterior curvature of the spine. it occurs commonly in the lumbar spine. Most often as compensation for a kyphosis above or a flexion deformity at the hip joint. Today’s lifestyle loss of curvature, lordosis that is straight spine is very common at an early age.
Some lordosis is normal. Too much lordosis is referred to as swayback.
Kyphosis – it is an anterior curvature of the spine. It is common mostly at thoracic level, it exaggerates the normal curve (kyphotic). in the lumbar and cervical levels, it obliterates the normal lordosis.
Scoliosis – in this deformity there is a lateral that is sideways curvature of the spine.
In scoliosis, there is a main curve called the primary curve. It is named according to the level and side to which the main convexity of the curve is directed. It can occur at any age but tends to start in teenagers or older. For example, left dorsal scoliosis denotes that the convexity of the main curve is towards the left side at the dorsal level. The primary curve has compensatory curves above and below called secondary curves. The upper compensatory curve helps nature attempt to keep the shoulder level so that the eyes are in a horizontal level. Similarly, the lower secondary curve helps maintain the pelvis level, ensuring parallelism of the legs for normal locomotion.
The bio-mechanics behind scoliosis reveal that any curved rod bending in the lateral plane to form a second curve must twist along its long axis. In the case of the vertebral column, lateral curvature causes rotation of the vertebral bodies. During such rotation, the bodies move towards the convex side, and the spinous processes move towards the concave side
Combinations – very often there is a combination of deformities like kyphoscoliosis..
These deformities can significantly impact spinal health and overall well being .
There are a number of different causes.
Congenital and acquired , postural which is common in the younger group.It may or may not show structural changes in the spine.
A spinal disorder in which a bone (vertebra) slips forward onto the bone below it.
Forward bending and backward bending is bad for the spinal column:
Any bending , forward or backward is bad for the spine. This makes our spine vulnerable, because of compression of the vertibral column at either side. This is the main root cause of all diseases breaking the weak links in the spinal column.
We as a human species have to learn how to align and elongate these 24 spinal vertebrae with scrum and tailbone at one side and head at one side .
Acquired or obtained deformities – Which are obtained mainly in day to day activities or injuries. let’s see some definitions in modern medicine and how it occurs and its medical terms-
Spondylitis – “itis” means inflammation. Muscular force also brings friction between muscle fibers which also leads to inflammation where muscles go into spasm and become stiff. Improper movement in the spine mainly because of stiffness and imbalance of muscles where the continuation arch of the spine is lost, the body loses functionality in several important ways.
Hence, there is friction between consecutive vertebra, and the end result is inflammation, which is swelling between two vertebrae.
Note that our body’s reaction in any inflammation is to go into contraction, to stop the abnormal movement that is a defensive response of the body to further tissue damage.
But do you care ? No, as not aware.
Friction continues and the body’s reaction is a buildup of fluid that is swelling of tissues. With the swelling, the natural tendency of the body is to further stop movement there. Hence, further muscles go into spasms. But people are not aware at this stage at all, and the body keeps adjusting and adapting . In this process due to no pain, they feel they are okay now, and due to work pressure people continue to work or distraction of any kind this process of damage or deterioration continues.
But again, who bothers?
Spondylosis – at the above condition, our same habits continue, and further defence of our body is to stop the incorrect movement further. Muscles go into further spasms. Muscles remain in contracture position and thus shorten, and normal curvature becomes straight (known as loss of normal lordosis). This type of immobility of the vertebral body further leads with narrowing of intervertebral space and further leads to forming osteophytes, which irritates the nerves.
Slip disc/ P.I.D (prolapsed intervertebral disc) – with narrowing of intervertebral space, disc between two vertebrae protrudes backwards and irritates spinal cord. This typically occurs due to a tear in the tough fibrous annular ring that surrounds a soft inner core, resulting in herniation of the softer material.
Most commonly this occurs in the lowermost part of the spine which has to bear more weight but however in today’s lifestyle these can occur in the neck, which is getting common thus ignorance is a lot.
Spondylolisthesis : A spinal disorder in which a bone (vertebra) slips forward onto the bone below it.
Disc prolapse can occur anywhere in your spine. However, most commonly seen in the discs of lower back (the lumbar spine) followed by the neck (Cervical region) and rarely in the thoracic spine. In the lumbar region, L4-L5 and L5-S1 levels are more commonly affected. The size of the prolapse can vary. In general, the larger the disc prolapse, the more severe the symptoms.
Activities that suddenly increase the intra-abdominal pressure such as sneezing, awkward bending, or heavy lifting in an awkward position may cause extra pressure on the disc, allowing the inner softer part of the disc to squeeze out through the weakened outer part of the disc.
Pain when moving your neck or deep pain near or over the shoulder blade. You may also feel pain that moves to the upper arm, forearm, and fingers and numbness along your shoulder, elbow, forearm, and fingers. These are common symptoms when you have a slipped disc in your neck.
Cauda equina syndrome is a rare serious problem caused by a prolapsed disc where the nerves below the spinal cord are compressed. This syndrome cause low back pain plus:
Problems with bowel and bladder function (usually inability to pass urine).
Numbness around the anal and genital region ( Saddle region)
Weakness in one or both legs.
Spondylolysis – The above process goes on damaging further with the increasing pressure on the vertebrae they break near the lamina of vertebrae, which is called Pars interarticularis i.e breaking down of vertebral structure.
A bone may fracture without visibly breaking (hair line). See in the picture, Scottish dog sign shows the decapitation of the head, called a beheaded dog.
This happens because of pressure on the vertebrae. It is called a stress fracture or fatigue fracture. In healthy adults, stress fractures result from repeated, strenuous activities such as running, jumping, dancing, or aerobics exercises and similar activities.
Oblique views of x-rays are taken to show this defect.
Spondylolysis Spondylolysis is a stress fracture, Pars defect through the pars interarticularis of the lumbar vertebrae. The pars interarticularis is a thin bone segment joining two vertebrae. It is the most likely area to be affected by repetitive stress. This condition is fairly common and is found in one out of every 20 people.
Spondylolisthesis –
Slipping of vertebrae forward or backwards. If the pressure still goes on increasing then it breaks further and might happen that the vertebra slides over the lower vertebra and loses its alignment, sliding movement of one vertebra over another forward or backward. In this case there is tremendous pressure on the nerve root passing through the inter vertebral foramen and further resulting in compression of the spinal cord which may paralyze both legs. The lateral view of x-rays shows the slipping forward or backwards of the vertebra.
The Scottie dog sign refers to the normal appearance of the lumbar spine when seen on oblique radiographic projection. On oblique views, the posterior elements of the vertebra form the figure of a Scottie dog with:
*The transverse process being the nose
*The pedicle forming the eye
*The inferior articular facet being the front leg
*The superior articular facet representing the ear
*The pars interarticularis (the portion of the lamina that lies between the facets) equivalent to the neck of the dog
*The lamina and spinous process representing the body
Spondylolysis and Spondylolisthesis, these two deformities happen mainly in the lumbar region and very rare cases in the cervical region.
In most of the cases, the symptoms improve over a few weeks. Research studies have shown that the bulged portion of the disc shrinks over time. The symptoms tend to ease , Thus a lot of ignorance happens and, in most cases, go away completely.
Ankylosing Spondylitis – it is the chronic progressive inflammatory disorder of the axial skeleton system with the ossification of joints and ligaments. These ligaments and joints get deposited with calcium. Hence, the vertebrae become square in size, and the whole spine looks like bamboo (x-rays show this).
Even the region between muscle mass and tendons gets deposited with calcium. A blood test called HLA B 27 (human leukocyte antigens) comes positive.Requires a medical diagnosis.
Bamboo spine. There is ossification along the margins of the disk spaces in this person’s lumbar spine , producing an appearance similar to a stick of bamboo. See the sacro-iliac joints, as they have fused.
Symptoms typically appear in early adulthood and include reduced flexibility in the spine. This reduced flexibility eventually results in a hunched-forward posture. Pain in the back and joints is also common.
The upper back curves forward (kyphosis).
The normal curve in the low back flattens.
The hips may become stiff and not straighten completely.
People often keep their knees bent a little to make up for the changed curves in their back and stiffness in their hips. This bending of the knees causes the body to shift back a little so it’s easier to balance and to see straight ahead.
Ankylosing spondylitis is relatively rare. It affects about 1 in 1,000 people. It may run in families, although its cause is not understood. It most commonly strikes otherwise healthy young men. Men get this condition 10 times more often than women. The disorder most often appears between the ages of 20 and 40, but can develop in children.
Causes of Unhealthy Spine –
which we ignore. The root cause of an unhealthy spine lies in our evolution itself ( read the article the evolution of the spine and naturalization).
There is injury to the spine and the muscles around. But we don’t know exactly when it will happen. Hence, we have to work within to avoid these catastrophic..
There may also be muscular spasm ( an involuntary contraction of a muscle group), which is a protective mechanism. The muscles in spasm act as a splint to prevent further damage, and they are associated with pain, distortion of normal movement, and a twisted, unnatural posture.
One of the most important causes which are playing a key role is the modern lifestyle. We are sitting in a car, and we have to suddenly apply brakes. Sometimes, we are on the scooter, and it goes over a ditch. Nowadays we find many speed barkers in our city, no doubt, it’s for our safety but they are more of a back breaker.
Nowadays, most of the teenagers even school children, sit with hunched backs. People who have table jobs such as students, workplaces etc. always find that there is no relationship between the height of the table computer screen and that of a chair. Secondly, they have to sit in a distorted posture to adjust themselves. These people generally have a defect at the level of the cervical region, and they have a hunch back in the chest. People who are working with computers develop problems in the region slightly higher, i.e., at C3\C4 level.in people who carry weight on their heads or mental work, it is still at C1\C2 level.
Nowadays, new industries and commercial organizations are coming up, and they require a particular posture where we have to have our spine in a contorted position. All these lead to an imbalance between the two sides of muscles, which lead to back pain.
At times, if we move at a little faster speed, it can give us strain on our muscles. This we often experience if we are travelling. We want to get into a train.so quickly, we lift some load. We don’t know exactly how much weight load is, and that may lead to back pain.
We also injure muscles. We can see this often in people who play different sports. In all these games, when these sportsmen use their muscles during their movements, they find that the muscles of their back are not that strong and not balanced. Even if the person is not experiencing pain or maybe even muscles are not properly developed.
With ladies, because of repeated pregnancies, there is additional stretch and strain on the muscles of the back along with the lifting of weights. There is, at times, a lot of fat accumulated under the skin which pulls down the spine. All these things ultimately lead to chronic back pain.
The disc can be damaged by violent movements like accidents, sports, repetitive exercise or by lifting weights. This type of injury becomes more common with increasing age as the discs lose their water content and become less flexible. They also become thinner which results in the loss of height seen in old age. Damaged discs may impinge on the spinal nerves resulting in pain.
Sometimes it is a developmental defect where we find successive vertebrae are fused together. There may not be enough supportive attachments. There may be deficiencies in the formation of Spina bifida, it is a congenital defect of the vertebral column in which the lamina of L5 or S1 fails to develop normally and unit at the midline.
In addition, different diseases such as tuberculosis of the spine. Malignancy of the spine can also cause back pain.
Conclusion –
Improper movement of voluntary musculature in the spine leads to neck and back pain and our body always keeps adjusting wrongly to adapt and the end result is swelling between two vertebrae. With the swelling, the natural tendency of the body is to stop movement through the muscular spasms,as it is improper. But at this level we continue our work ,some take pain killers , use hot or cold pads or some sort of stretching. These gives temporarily relief but further this keeps on giving pressure on vertebrae and lead to further damage.which leads to decreasing spaces between two consecutive vertebrae (sometimes progressive misalignment or deformity of the spine),further leads to dehydration of disc further this leads to calcification and osteophytes osteoporosis (weakening of bone).
All these processes continuously give pressure to the spinal cord. But this is just not related to spinal deterioration, along with this compression over all spaces in body cavities ( chest, abdominal- pelvis) deteriorate with hardening of over all soft tissues.
Body gives so many small and big hints like uneasiness,headache, acidity, indigestion,neck and back pain, muscular spasm, joint pains, cough and cold which leads to further signs and symptoms like ear block, motion sickness, dizziness,vertigo,migraines, indigestion,constipation, allergies, infections, inflammation, viral ,BP, hormonal imbalance -Thyroid, diabetes etc …all such things further leads to many signs and symptoms,many more illnesses and diseases depends upon distortion of spaces within which damage inner environment/ homeostasis .
Swati Joshi
Swati Yoga Shalaa
