Spinal Curves
Premier Chiropractic - Dr. DeeDee Wampfler
Your body is an amazing design with all parts working together. Your spine is an example of this amazing design. There are four main regions in your spine, each having different shapes - cervical, thoracic, lumbar, and sacrum - and they are made from individual spinal segments called vertebrae, which also vary in their size and form depending on the particular spinal region.
Your neck, also known as the cervical spine, consists of seven vertebrae. The top two cervical vertebrae are uniquely designed to fit together with the base of the skull and allow for most of the head rotation. The lower five vertebrae have unique processes called uncinated processes on the top of the vertebral body to protect the intervertebral discs that cushion and allow for movement and shape of the spine. The ideal normal curvature of the neck should be a forward lordotic curve that approximates a piece of a circle 42 degrees.
Your upper-back, is referred to as your thoracic spine and is composed of 12 spinal thoracic vertebrae. They are shaped differently as the first ten have sights for the rib attachments; therefore, your thoracic spine is very stable and also serves to protect specific organs as well as obviously supporting your spine. This part of the spine also has a reversal of curvature from the circular curvature of the neck and is known as the normal kyphotic curve which has a backward curve. Too much of a thoracic curve looks like a hunch-back, known as a dowager’s hump or a hyperkyphosis. Too little curve or straightening of this curve increases your risk for developing scoliosis.
Your lower back, also known as your lumbar spine is made up of five lumbar vertebrae, although there can be some fluctuation on this number as some people may have one less or one more lumbar vertebrae or there can be some uniqueness when the lowest lumbar vertebrae behaves like the sacrum or vice versa. The vertebral bodies become larger as you travel down the spine. The lumbar curvature should be a forward curve much like the cervical spine only instead of the curve being like a piece of a circle, it should be like an elipse with a greater angle or curvature as you go down, kind of like an egg-shaped curve.
The fourth curvature of the spine is the sacral region and coccyx. These vertebrae usually fuse into their respective parts and form the base of the spine and pelvic region where the pelvic bones attach. This curvature is a backward curve.
This normal spinal alignment is crucial for healthy nerve flow energy from the brain to the body and body to brain. When these alignments are reduced or even reversed, it creates abnormal pressure within the spinal cord much like when a garden hose gets kinked and prevents the outflow of water or reduces it. Once the garden hose is unkinked, the life-giving water flows out, providing the vital drink that the plants need. The life-giving energy is shut down or limited depending on the spinal damage extent and when the spine is fixed or unkinked, that life-giving energy from the brain and spinal cord is flowing freely again.
When the spine has lost its normal shape, it begins to fail in its functions and creates what is called a subluxation, which is a misalignment of the spine that also includes muscle, soft-tissue, and nerve damage and may include various symptoms which help tell you something is wrong. You need specific chiropractic care that includes specific extension compression traction to remold your spine in order to consistently correct the lateral spinal curvatures.