The spine is a wondrous piece of architecture. It houses the main electrical fuse box for our bodies - the spinal cord - yet the back is capable of lifting tremendous amounts of weight. At the same time, the bones in the back feature a series of hinges that allow us to rotate, bend, twist and arch backward.
The spinal column is a column of bones and discs that are stacked on top of each other like cups and saucers. The bones in the spine are called vertebra. A single bone segment is called a vertebrae.
In order to keep the bones from grinding against each other, there are cushioning discs found between the individual bones. The discs resemble a jelly donut in that they have a fimer outer wall and a jelly-like substance in the middle.
The spinal cord runs from the base of the skull to the tailbone in the lower back. This spinal cord is safely encased within the protective framework of the vertebral column of bones. The column of bones is supported by facet joints, muscles, ligaments and tendons which allow a person to bend and twist. See the anatomy lesson home page for an extended explanation of how your back is constructed.
Visit the other pages via the navigation bar at the top of this page to learn more about back problems, and then visit the exercise to learn how you can help prevent back injuries from occurring by performing some simple exercises at home.
