What is the spine?
The spine is an important part of the skeleton that holds and supports the human body. Like an axis or a flexible column, the spine forms the center of the body and connects all the bones and parts of the skeleton. The spine enables people to walk upright and to move freely forwards, sideways and backwards. The spine also protects the spinal cord, which is located inside the spine - in the vertebral canal. It also absorbs shocks and thus protects the body and brain from vibrations. Colloquially, the spine is also called the backbone.
How is the spine structured?
The human spine is divided into five individual sections: cervical spine, thoracic spine, lumbar spine , sacrum and coccyx. Each individual section is made up of individual vertebrae. In total, the human spine has 33 to 34 vertebrae, which are differentiated according to their different functions. There are seven cervical vertebrae, twelve thoracic vertebrae and five lumbar vertebrae. These vertebrae are among the movable vertebrae and are connected to one another by intervertebral discs , vertebral joints and ligaments . The five sacral vertebrae and four to five coccyx vertebrae fuse to form the sacrum and coccyx between the ages of 20 and 25. They are therefore among the rigid vertebrae of the spine.
Depending on whether the vertebrae are in the cervical spine or further down in the lumbar spine, they are constructed slightly differently. This is because the vertebrae in the lumbar spine have to bear significantly more weight than the thoracic or cervical vertebrae. The lower vertebrae are larger than the upper ones, which only have to support the head, but the upper ones allow more mobility than those further down. Basically, however, all of them - except the first and second cervical vertebrae - consist of a vertebral body, a vertebral arch, a spinous process, two transverse processes and four articular processes. The ligaments and muscles are attached to the spinous and transverse processes.
What shape is the spine?
If you look at the spine from the side, you can quickly see that it has an S shape - twice, in fact. There is an S between the cervical vertebrae and the thoracic vertebrae, and also between the lumbar vertebrae and the coccyx. The lower S-shaped curvature is called lordosis . However, if you look at the spine from the front, it should be more or less perfectly straight.
What is scoliosis?
Scoliosis is a lateral deformation or curvature of the spine. The spine bends to the right or left in one place. Individual vertebrae also twist.
In the beginning, scoliosis usually does not cause any immediate discomfort. However, severe scoliosis puts strain on all the structures involved, causing wear and tear (e.g. osteochondrosis ) on the spine, which leads to pain, especially back pain.
What treatment options are there for scoliosis?
For mild to moderate curvatures of the spine, targeted exercises that strengthen the back muscles – and of course the abdominal muscles – are helpful.
In everyday life, especially in the office, you can support the strengthening of the back muscles by using active chairs. Active chairs from Aeris are designed to enable flexible, natural movements - even while sitting - and thereby activate and strengthen the muscles, thus preventing spine and back problems.
References
My Back Book, Prof. Dr. Dietrich Grönemeyer, Zabert Sandmann Publishing, 2004
