Healthy backs are not perfectly straight. When your posture is good, there are four curves to the spinal column.
The neck and shoulders help to support the cervical spine. The thoracic spine is supported by the rib cage. The lumbar spine is made up of the five largest vertebrae, supported and stabilized by back and abdominal muscles…muscles in your legs and buttocks also stabilize and protect your lower back, especially during repeated or heavy lifting. The vertebrae also work to protect our spinal cord from injury.
This slide just gives you an idea of how the nerves from our spine correspond to different areas of the body.
Sprains/strains usually resolve in a maximum 6-8 weeks. DDD – we all have some degree of degeneration/arthritis Compression fractures are especially dangerous and can lead to a lifetime of pain. HNP – the disc is protruding and can be pushing against one of the nerve roots, which can cause pain in other parts of the body.
This is a description of approximately how much stress is placed on our lower back in these positions.
On the next slide we will take a look at the math.
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