![]() ![]() At Spineology Chiropractic, we try to deliver the highest quality care in Newton, Massachusetts. This will give you the most information about the condition of your spine, alignment, any anatomical variations, and any contraindications for chiropractic care. The best way to know the condition of your spine is with a X-ray. Most people haven’t, so they don’t know if they have a problem or not. An ideal spine should have even hips, a sacrum (tailbone) that is straight up and down, and a lumbar spine (low back) that sits straight up on top of it. Just like in your house, when the foundation is off, it can throw the rest of it off. Your pelvis is the foundation of your spine. This uneven pressure on the spine can cause it to wear down and degenerate faster, leading to health problems in the future, just like if the tires on your car were not aligned properly. When you get curves in this plane, it is referred to as scoliosis. This position uses the least amount of energy to support your body everyday gravity pulls on it. Your head (eyes and ears) should be level, as well as your hip bones. Looking at your spine from the front it should be straight up and down when looking at it from the front 3. People with poor cervical curves suffer from headaches, neck and shoulder pain, jaw pain, and fatigue because it takes more energy throughout the day to hold one’s head up. This is why it is important to get your spine evaluated periodically to make sure you correct any problems and to keep it healthy. Unfortunately, the brain and spinal cord are not forgiving, so if you get any damage to these areas, they are likely to be permanent. 5 When you lose the curves in your spine it elongates, stretching out your spinal cord and can cause a variety of neurological problems. If you were to take out the curves in your spine, it would lengthen your spinal cord up to 7cm. Having these curves in your spine decreases the tension on your spinal cord. In this position, it causes the least amount of pressure on the brain stem. The top bone (atlas) should have an angle between 18-24 degrees. Gray’s Anatomy shows that the greatest pivotal stress is in the upper neck region, as well as the lower neck region, allowing for the greatest strength and stability to be achieved in the neck when there is a lordotic curve (banana shape) present in the neck. As the spine loses its curve it becomes weaker and more prone to injury. What Does a Normal Cervical Spine Look Like?Īn ideal cervical spine should have a curve in it because it is its strongest in this position. When you have a loss of curve of your spine in this plane, it takes the pressure off the back part (facets) of your spine and puts more pressure on your discs, causing them to wear out faster and making them more prone to injury in the future. The most important curve out of the 3 curves is the curvature in your neck because the nerves that continue out of your brainstem have to travel through your spinal canal in your neck before the nerve signals can reach other parts of your body. 2,3 The importance of the curves is to increase shock absorbing capacity, increase flexibility, maintaining stability in your spine, 3 and to help resist gravitational forces that constantly pull down on us throughout the day. Looking at your spine from the side, it should have 3 curves in it. Since our spine houses the extension of our brain, it must be important right? Most people brush their teeth every day, but not everyone thinks about spinal hygiene every day. ![]() There is a saying that goes “if our spine was visible, we would take better care of it,” just like we do with our teeth. What is a normal spine? Do you have an ideal spine? A “normal” spine is relative to each person’s situation (depending on the damage that has already been done, anatomical variations, and so forth), but for the purpose of this, we will consider what an ideal or optimum spine should be. ![]()
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