How does spine move

Together, the brain and spinal cord make up the central nervous system. Other than protecting the spinal cord, the vertebrae create joints that allow the spine to bend and twist. The joints of the thoracic spine are important to arm movement, bending over, and other movements.

Several muscles that are connected to vertebrae via ligaments, or flexible bands of fibrous tissue, move the spine. The muscles of the back fit into the grooves of the spinous processes, or the protrusions of the vertebrae than can be felt through parts of the skin in the neck.

The space between each vertebra contains an intervertebral disc made of cushioning material that connects the vertebrae to one another and pads these joints. The thoracic spine is unique in relation to other segments of the spine because pairs of rib bones extend from the spaces between its 12 vertebrae.

Because the thoracic spine is used so much in daily life, it is prone to strain and injury for many reasons, from improper posture to compression fracture. Some injuries can put pressure on the spinal nerves, creating even stronger pain and other symptoms.

Some causes of recurring back pain include:. The lumbar vertebrae are the largest movable bones of the backbone. Their large size and bone strength is necessary because these vertebrae support…. Trachea The trachea, also called the windpipe, is part of the passageway that supplies air to the lungs.

The most flexible part is the cervical spine neck area. The bones that make up the spine also protect the spinal cord, which runs through the spinal canal. Viewed from the side, there are four slight natural curves in a healthy adult spine: the cervical neck and lumbar lower back sections of the spine curve inward, and the thoracic upper back and sacral bottom of the spine sections curve outward. This S-shaped curvature makes the spine stable: It helps you keep your balance when you are in an upright position, acts like a shock absorber when you walk, and protects the individual bones in the spine the vertebrae from fractures.

The lower down the vertebrae are in the spine, the more weight they have to carry. For that reason, the lower movable vertebrae are larger and more stable than the top vertebrae. The front part of each of the vertebrae is called the vertebral body.

There are 23 elastic spinal disks between the vertebrae — except for between the skull and the first cervical vertebra, and between the first and second cervical vertebrae. The sacrum and the tailbone can't be moved, and are made up only of bone. The disks have a solid, multi-layered casing of cartilage fiber and a gel-like core. They keep the spine flexible so that we can lean over and rotate our upper body.

They also absorb shocks that are transferred to the spine when we run or jump, for instance. When we put pressure on our spine, the spinal disks release fluid and become thinner "compress" ; when the pressure is relieved, they absorb fluid and become thicker "decompress". Because we usually put more pressure on our spine during the day and relieve the pressure at night, we are around 1.

Over many years our spine starts to wear, meaning that as we age our spinal disks become thinner, the vertebrae become compressed and the spine curves more. That is why we usually "shrink" a little a few centimeters as we age. Except for the first two vertebrae in the neck, as well as the sacrum and tailbone, all of our vertebrae are made up of a vertebral body at the front, and a "spinous process," which points backwards.

Both parts are connected by the vertebral arch, which forms a cavity in the middle — the spinal foramen. These cavities align to form the spinal canal, which surrounds the spinal cord. Bones and joints of the thoracic spine: Side view with separated parts left and top view right. Looking behind you before you change lanes requires us to rotate, turning to the person next to you without moving your entire body around requires rotation, even cooking can require some rotation.

Rotating the spine consistently and correctly will help us keep our range of motion healthy and flexible so that daily movement becomes easier and less painful. Finally, we come to axial extension, which is the most difficult to understand. Axial extension is similar to extension except that it emphasizes lengthening vs. The easiest way to think about axial extension is to familiarize yourself with the planes of movement.

When you think about extending the spine, you think about leaning back. Remember how I talked about the correct way to extend the spine earlier? To extend the spine correctly and safely, you also need to axially extend the spine, or lengthen while you lean. Axial extension creates more space in between the vertebra and thus creates more length and space in the spine as a whole.

Sitting up tall from a slouched position would be considered axial extension. Since most of us are not constantly in a perfect postural position , returning to that position would axially extend the spine.

Sounds painful, right? Axial extension requires a more subtle but important set of muscular actions starting from the pelvic floor and moving all the way up to the proper positioning of the chin to create a long neck. In yoga, we call these actions bandhas, or locks.

More on that later. How many directions of spinal movement do you have consistently in your daily life? Which yoga postures do you love the most?