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Backbone
The backbone is another colloquial name for the
spine.
The spine is the structure which gives our bodies form and function; providing us with protection, mobility and unrivaled physical ability, making humans the most successful species on this planet.
Spinal Structure
The spine is formed from many individual bones called
vertebrae.
These vertebrae are joined in a vertical column by the
intervertebral discs.
The segmented design of the human spine gives amazing flexibility over a wide range of bodily locations. The considerable bulk of the
thoracic
and
lumbar
vertebrae provide excellent stability and protection for our internal organs. Meanwhile, the thinner vertebrae in the
cervical spine
help to give us terrific range of motion in our necks while also supporting the considerable weight and bulk of the head. The human spine is truly a marvel of nature’s engineering.
Backbone Facts
The human spine is multiply curved to help distribute weight and force across larger areas of the body. These curves make us far more capable of athletic activities and help to insulate us from harm. The spine is broken up into 5 primary regions starting from the top: the cervical spine, the thoracic spine, the lumbar spine, the
sacral spine
and the
coccyx.
The normal degenerative processes which act upon all our organic tissues also affect the spine. It is normal to lose disc height and mass as we age, as well as develop
bone spurs,
also known as
osteophytes,
on the vertebral bones. Spinal degeneration is the reason why people seem to shrink as they age. We actually lose a considerable portion of our height from the decrease in collective intervertebral disc height.
The Bottom Line on the Spine
The term backbone has taken on the meaning to describe any person, place or thing which supports and provides structure. Our spine is much maligned by modern medical science, but this vilification is mostly unjustified. The spine is a true wonder of design and certainly has not brought us this far as a species without becoming the best skeletal support in nature. Doctors have chosen to make the spinal structures
scapegoats
for a wide range of
dorsopathy
conditions, when in fact,
chronic back pain
is seldom structurally induced. To understand more about how the spine is implicated unfairly in many painful syndromes, consider learning more about
knowledge therapy
and you will truly understand why
back pain
is so poorly managed in our healthcare system.
Backbone to Back Pain Home
3/30/09 Revised 11/2/09
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