Have you ever asked, "Why do so many people
suffer from low back pain?" The answer involves a brief overview of the
lumbar spine. Although the entire spine is involved in everyday activities of
rest and movement, the low back can be vulnerable to many pain-provoking
disorders. Simple sprains and strains from overexertion, a herniated disc from
a slip and fall, degenerative disc disease or spinal stenosis from normal
aging, and other disorders can cause low back pain.
To help you understand back pain, the following
brief and illustrated anatomy lesson is provided.
The lumbar spine (low back) is the third major
region of the spine; it is below the cervical spine and thoracic spine. Most
people have five bones (vertebrae) in the lumbar spine, although it is not
unusual to have six. Each vertebra is stacked on top of the other and between
each vertebra is a gel-like cushion called an intervertebral disc. The discs
help to absorb pressure, distribute stress, and keep the vertebrae from
grinding against each other.
Ligaments and
Tendons: Connective Lumbar Spine Soft Tissues
The vertebrae and discs are held together by groups of ligaments .
Ligaments connect bone to bone, whereas tendons connect muscle to bone. In the
spine, tendons connect muscles to the vertebrae. The ligaments and tendons help
to stabilize the spine and guard against excessive movement in any one
direction.
Lumbar Spine Joints
The spine also
has joints that are similar to knees, elbows, and other joints. The spinal
joints are called facet joints
The facet
joints have been described as finger-like, and they link the vertebrae
together. The facet joints are located at the posterior area of the spinal
column (on the back side of the spinal column).
In addition,
the facet joints help to make the spine flexible and enable you to bend
forward, backward, and side to side.
The lumbar spine has several
distinguishing characteristics:
·
The lower
the vertebra is in the spinal column, the more weight it must bear. The five
vertebrae of the lumbar spine (L1-L5) are the biggest unfused vertebrae in the spinal
column, enabling them to support the weight of the entire torso.
·
The
lumbar spine's lowest two spinal segments, L4-L5 and L5-S1, which include the
vertebrae and discs, bear the most weight and are therefore the most prone to
degradation and injury.
·
The
lumbar spine meets the sacrum at the lumbosacral joint
(L5-S1). This joint allows for considerable rotation, so that the pelvis and
hips may swing when walking and running.
·
The
spinal cord travels from the base of the skull through the spinal column and
ends at about T12-L1 - where the thoracic spine meets the lumbar spine. At that
point numerous nerve roots from the spinal cord continue down and branch out,
forming the "cauda equina," named for its resemblance
to a horse's tail. These nerves extend to the lower extremities (buttocks, legs
and feet). Because the spinal cord does not run through the lumbar spine, it is
quite rare that a lower back problem would result in spinal cord damage or
paralysis.
Lumbar Intervertebral Segment
Physicians usually explain a patient's pathology by focusing on one
intervertebral segment, or spinal segment. The lumbar spine has 5
intervertebral segments, termed lumbar segment 1 through 5 (e.g. L1, L2, L3,
L4, and L5).
Each lumbar spine segment is comprised of:
·
Two vertebrae, such as L4-L5, stacked vertically
with an intervertebral disc between them. A healthy disc is cushiony, with a
lot of water, and has a sponge-like substance. It acts like a shock absorber in
the spine, allowing flexibility and providing protection from jarring
movements.
·
The two adjacent vertebrae are connected in the
back of the spine by two small joints called facet joints. The facet joints of the lumbar spine
allow movement to bend and twist the low back in all directions.
·
There are nerves that branch off from the spinal
column at each level of the spine. They pass through small holes in the back of
the lower spine. They then connect together to form the sciatic nerve, which travels into the legs down the
back of each thigh and into the calves and feet.
Doctors usually talk about a patient's lumbar disc
problem, or nerve or other lower back problem,
as the level that includes two vertebrae and the disc between them, such as
L3-L4 or L4-L5. If the disc at the very bottom of the spine is affected, that
segment is called the lumbosacral joint L5-S1
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