The Back
Have you ever stopped to wonder what your “back” is? I remember being a kid and hearing that someone “broke their back”. I couldn’t picture exactly what that meant.
What do you think of as being your back? Why do we refer to that area of our body using just one word, the “back”? We don’t talk about our “front” as if it is it’s own body part, do we?
Structurally speaking, what makes up the back? Well, we have our ribs and spine. Can we consider the ribs part of the back? I’m not so sure, as the ribs make up as much of our front as they do our back. So when we get right down to it, our “back” is our spine.
So what is the spine, exactly? The spine is the very core of who we are, anatomically. Our entire structure is built around, and emanates from, our spine. Our head is the top-most projection of the spine. Our rib cage arises from the spine, creating our torso. Our arms and legs attach to the spine and enable us to move.
Your spine is made up of 26 individual bones. Typically, you have 24 vertebrae (plural form of ‘vertebra’), one sacrum and one coccyx. These bones stack one atop the other. The bottom-most vertebra stacks on top of the sacrum. And the coccyx attaches to the sacrum from below.
The upper most section of the spine is your neck and is called the cervical spine. It has 7 vertebrae. Your head sits atop the first cervical vertebra. The cervical spine is meant to have a slight forward curve, but that is not always the case. In our clinic we’ll see normal curves and everything either side of normal, from excessively forward curved necks (it almost appears as if the person doesn’t have a neck) to ramrod straight necks (in which case the neck can look longer than normal).
The section of the spine below the cervical spine is called the thoracic spine and is composed of 12 vertebrae. Your ribs arise from each of these vertebrae and wrap around to the front of your body, forming the ribcage and a significant part of your torso. The thoracic spine is meant to have a slight backwards curve. But again, at our clinic we see every version out there…from excessively straight (coined “military back”) to excessively hunched thoracic curves.
The section of the spine below the thoracic spine is the lower back, called the lumbar spine. The lumbar spine is composed of 5 chunky vertebrae. The lumbar spine is meant to have a natural forward-facing curve. But, you guessed it, we see curves of all variation, from a straight lower back (often with bum tucked forward) to excessively curved (with bum high and back) in our massage clinic.
The section of the spine below the lumbar spine is the sacrum and coccyx. The sacrum is unique in that it is a fusion of 5 vertebrae, making it a single bone. It has its own natural curve to it, a rear-facing curve. Said curve is fixed, and cannot be changed. What’s more relevant than the curve is if the sacrum is nodding forward (often seen with an excessive forward lumbar curve) or nodding backward (seen with a straight lumbar curve).
The spine has several functions, including:
1) Protection. We all know where our brain is (I hope). The brain makes its way to the rest of our body by way of a tail-like structure called the spinal cord. That cord travels from the bottom of brain to the end of our spine. The cord is enclosed by each and every vertebra and the sacrum, providing it protection. In fact, it’s more appropriate to refer to the spine as the spinal column. The column containing the spinal cord.
2) Weight-bearing. The spine bears the weight of our head and upper body and is structured accordingly. The healthy spine has four distinct sections - as mentioned above - each with a natural curve. These natural curves enable the spine to safely and effectively accept weight and force.
3) Movement. The spine moves in every which way: bending forward and backwards (called flexion and extension, respectively), bending to each side (called lateral flexion), and twisting (called rotation). In fact, the word ‘vertebra’ is Latin and means ‘that which enables turning’.
During a massage at our clinic, your therapist is assessing the degree and health of your spinal curves, and is addressing muscle tissues that contribute to unhealthy or distorted curves. Hopefully leaving you feel a little more relaxed, a little more ‘aligned’, perhaps feeling a bit lighter, taller, and/or afloat.
What do you think of as being your back? Why do we refer to that area of our body using just one word, the “back”? We don’t talk about our “front” as if it is it’s own body part, do we?
Structurally speaking, what makes up the back? Well, we have our ribs and spine. Can we consider the ribs part of the back? I’m not so sure, as the ribs make up as much of our front as they do our back. So when we get right down to it, our “back” is our spine.
So what is the spine, exactly? The spine is the very core of who we are, anatomically. Our entire structure is built around, and emanates from, our spine. Our head is the top-most projection of the spine. Our rib cage arises from the spine, creating our torso. Our arms and legs attach to the spine and enable us to move.
Your spine is made up of 26 individual bones. Typically, you have 24 vertebrae (plural form of ‘vertebra’), one sacrum and one coccyx. These bones stack one atop the other. The bottom-most vertebra stacks on top of the sacrum. And the coccyx attaches to the sacrum from below.
The upper most section of the spine is your neck and is called the cervical spine. It has 7 vertebrae. Your head sits atop the first cervical vertebra. The cervical spine is meant to have a slight forward curve, but that is not always the case. In our clinic we’ll see normal curves and everything either side of normal, from excessively forward curved necks (it almost appears as if the person doesn’t have a neck) to ramrod straight necks (in which case the neck can look longer than normal).
The section of the spine below the cervical spine is called the thoracic spine and is composed of 12 vertebrae. Your ribs arise from each of these vertebrae and wrap around to the front of your body, forming the ribcage and a significant part of your torso. The thoracic spine is meant to have a slight backwards curve. But again, at our clinic we see every version out there…from excessively straight (coined “military back”) to excessively hunched thoracic curves.
The section of the spine below the thoracic spine is the lower back, called the lumbar spine. The lumbar spine is composed of 5 chunky vertebrae. The lumbar spine is meant to have a natural forward-facing curve. But, you guessed it, we see curves of all variation, from a straight lower back (often with bum tucked forward) to excessively curved (with bum high and back) in our massage clinic.
The section of the spine below the lumbar spine is the sacrum and coccyx. The sacrum is unique in that it is a fusion of 5 vertebrae, making it a single bone. It has its own natural curve to it, a rear-facing curve. Said curve is fixed, and cannot be changed. What’s more relevant than the curve is if the sacrum is nodding forward (often seen with an excessive forward lumbar curve) or nodding backward (seen with a straight lumbar curve).
The spine has several functions, including:
1) Protection. We all know where our brain is (I hope). The brain makes its way to the rest of our body by way of a tail-like structure called the spinal cord. That cord travels from the bottom of brain to the end of our spine. The cord is enclosed by each and every vertebra and the sacrum, providing it protection. In fact, it’s more appropriate to refer to the spine as the spinal column. The column containing the spinal cord.
2) Weight-bearing. The spine bears the weight of our head and upper body and is structured accordingly. The healthy spine has four distinct sections - as mentioned above - each with a natural curve. These natural curves enable the spine to safely and effectively accept weight and force.
3) Movement. The spine moves in every which way: bending forward and backwards (called flexion and extension, respectively), bending to each side (called lateral flexion), and twisting (called rotation). In fact, the word ‘vertebra’ is Latin and means ‘that which enables turning’.
During a massage at our clinic, your therapist is assessing the degree and health of your spinal curves, and is addressing muscle tissues that contribute to unhealthy or distorted curves. Hopefully leaving you feel a little more relaxed, a little more ‘aligned’, perhaps feeling a bit lighter, taller, and/or afloat.