The Backbone
Our spine houses and protects our spinal cord. Structurally, it keeps us upright and bipedal. Our spinal strength and mobility is why we do Pilates and movement. I will be specifically focusing on the mobility of the spine since I am grasping at such a broad and complicated subject. Limitations of that mobility depend on 1, the individual design of our spine (no two spines are alike) and 2, the possibility of stiffening with arthritis or stenosis as we age. What’s interesting to observe is the vertebral shape and size of the cervical, thoracic, and lumbar, which dictates its movement capabilities. In between each vertebrae are little pillows called discs, which absorb shock and provide space between. What’s that jargon? If you haven’t met your spine by now, I think it is time. Let's take a tour.
Cervical: These are vertebrae that start in between your ears and end at the base of your neck. There are 7 (C1-C7) in total. Their shape is generally flat and small to create maximum mobility. The first two vertebrae are unique. C1, the atlas, is named after the Greek guy holding up the world. In this case, atlas holds your skull, which weighs about 10-15 lbs. It uses C2, the axis, as a pivot to create motion of your skull for rotation, flexion and extension.
Thoracic: These vertebrae run from the base of your neck to the bottom of your rib cage. There are 12 vertebrates, T1 the smallest to T12, the largest. These vertebrae also connect to the ribcage, which adds strength and stability. In my practice, I find this part of the spine to be stiff and muscles weak. If there is no proper mobility in this area, the lower back takes on movement it was not designed to do. This can be one of many reasons we may have lower back pain. Please see this week's video to move through this area better. We should have about 30-35 degrees of rotation. If you look at a gymnast do a backbend, it also happens in this region rather than the lower back. What does this area house? The lungs, so proper movement and mobility in this area assists in proper breathing mechanics on a joint level.
Lumbar: There are 5 vertebrae (L1-L5). Their shape is the largest of all vertebrates. Thick, taller, and wider to support the whole spine, and like the thoracic, each vertebrae gets bigger as it goes down towards L5. L4-L5, L5-S1 are common places to herniate a disc as they take the most weight of the spine and well as torque from pelvic rotation. Rotation is much more limited, about 10 degrees. So twists in exercises should come from the above thoracic. Low back pain is the most common complaint but there are so many different reasons for it. I learned while researching this article another cause for low back pain is poor blood supply. The low back is avascular (no blood supply), and relies on diffusion for nourishment and removal of waste.
Sacrum: This is 5 vertebrates that fuse into one bone. This cornerstone of the spine and articulates within the pelvis.
The exercises in this video I actually found on Instagram by a physical therapist I follow. He was manipulating his clients through these spinal ranges of motion, and I thought, how can I make these into stretches? I set out to practice them in the morning and before bed to test them on my body laboratory. I was quite amazed how mobile and relaxed my spine felt after just a couple of days. I have also taken the liberty of adding a prop of a yoga strap, theraband, or anything you can tie around the ribcage as feedback.
Have a spine challenge: There are two videos available below: a learning video that is more talking and explaining so it is a bit slower, and a practice video with little talk and more action. I challenge you to take 5 minutes in the morning and night to do these exercises. Try for a week, and let me know how you did!