S like spine

S as in Spine

The spine is made of 33 individual bones stacked one on top of the other.  Ligaments and muscles connect the bones together and keep them aligned.  The spinal column provides the main support for your body, allowing you to stand upright, bend, and twist.

The normal anatomy of the spine is usually described by dividing the spine into 3 major sections:  the cervical, the thoracic, and the lumbar spine. (Below the lumbar spine is a bone called the sacrum, which is part of the pelvis.)  Each section is made up of individual bones called vertebrae.  There are 

7 cervical vertebrae, 12 thoracic vertebrae, and 5 lumbar vertebrae.

·      

           An abnormal curve of the lumbar spine is lordosis, also called sway back.

·         An abnormal curve of the thoracic spine is kyphosis, also called hunchback.

·         An abnormal curve from side-to-side is called scoliosis.

The spinal cord passes through a hole in the center (called the spinal canal) of each vertebra.  It begins at the base of the brain and extends into the pelvis. Many of the nerves of the periphery nervous system, or PNS, branch out from the spinal cord and travel to various parts of the body.

Information from the senses travels through the nerves of the PNS to the spinal cord and then to the brain for processing, and commands from the brain travel down the spinal cord and then to the appropriate part of the PNS, where nerves transport the instructions to the body part where action is needed.

The spinal cord is also essential for reflex function.  Reflexes are the body’s way of coping with stimuli that require an immediate response.  Jerking away from something hot or sharp is a reflex action.  It happens immediately because instructions come from the spine rather than the brain to avoid injury.
You are probably familiar with these sayings:

·         sending shivers up and down my spine

·         a spine of steel

·         to show a bit of spine

Good posture is very important for the health of your spine -- how you sit, how you move, how you climb stairs, etc.  What better way to do it than to use the NIMBLE method!