The spine consists of
a series of bone
blocks placed one
above the other and
curved in four placessince I started practicing all that I have written in this book. Ever since I found out
exactly what to do for my back-pain I have felt totally in control and do not fear an
orthopod visit anytime. You will be the same once you have gone through this book.
Why is back pain so common amongst humans?
I have never heard of an animal suffering from back pain the way we do (unless it has a
disease of the backbone). One probable reason is the fact that we have decided to stand
upright on two legs even though anatomically our backbone has not evolved
simultaneously to that extent, and therefore is not designed for an erect posture and for
weight bearing. Just one look at the structure of the spine – which
consists of a series of bone blocks placed one above the other
and curved in four places – will make anyone wonder as to
how this delicate sinuous structure could even support the
weight of an adult weighing 70 kg or more. But it does! The
vertebral bodies support 80% of all of the loads applied to
the spine.
The fact that all of us are not collapsing and wriggling around like
snakes is because the spine is an engineering marvel; capable of maintaining our erect
posture with help from the muscles and tissues surrounding it. At the same time we can
bend in all directions and be flexible in our movements. Truly an amazing piece of
architecture!!
In order to understand the cause of back pain, we need to spend some time trying to
understand the complex anatomy of the spine and its surrounding elements. DON’T
SKIP THIS PART!! If you do not know the components of a machine you will never
understand how to repair it when it goes out of order. In the same way it is essential for
us to know the structure of the spine and its mechanics in order to pinpoint the cause of
the pain. Once we know where the problem is, it becomes easier to treat it and prevent
the problem from coming back. So here goes. Let’s move on to your first anatomy
lesson.