 If
your back has never ached, you’re
lucky. Americans make nearly 25 million
doctor visits each year for either
back or neck problems. Back pain
may come and go with conservative
measures, but for some people, it
is indicative of a more serious problem.
At
Northern Rockies Neurosurgeons we are
more than
just “brain doctors.” To
help minimize the strain in your life,
we offer total care for all common
surgical problems in the neck and spine,
as well as expertise in minimally
invasive techniques and the latest
innovations such as artificial
disc replacement.
The
spine (also called the vertebral or
spinal column) is a series of bones
called vertebrae, stacked one upon
another in a slight S-shape.
The four regions are cervical (neck),
thoracic (chest), lumbar
(low back) and sacral
(pelvic).
Each
vertebra, regardless of location, has
three jobs: to bear weight and withstand
compression, to segment motion, and
to offer support
by attaching to surrounding muscles.
When working properly, the spine is
able to bend and twist.
The
Spinal Cord, housed in
the spinal canal, works with the
brain to form the Central
Nervous
System, providing the information
highway between the brain and peripheral
nerves. The spinal cord is like
an electric wire that
threads from the brainstem down through
the center of the first lumbar
vertebra and then becomes
the Cauda Equina, a bundle
of spinal nerve roots.
The
Nerve Roots branch off the
spinal cord at every vertebra. When
discs
herniate, they often pinch nerve
roots. These nerve impingements
can cause excruciating pain that
radiates into the arm or leg as a
result of the pressure.
The
Intervertebral
Discs are
spongy or fibro-cartilaginous cushions
serving as the spine's shock absorbing
system. They protect the vertebrae,
brain, and other nerves. Individual
disc movement is
very limited, however spinal motion
is possible when several discs combine
forces. The tough outside
layer of the disc
is the annulus fibrosus and the soft
inner part is called the nucleus
pulposus – which over time
can dry out and weaken, causing disc
degeneration.
The
Vertebra Bodies are
made of
pedicles and laminae, flexible facet
joints and the bony transverse
and spinous processes – which
are the narrow spikes pointing out
from the sides and back of the vertebrae.
This is the bone you feel when you
run your hands down your back. In
combination, the
individual vertebrae parts provide
attachment for back muscles, protect
the spinal cord and offer stability
that allow for the
twisting and turning of the spinal
column.
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