We’ve all talked about or heard of people “throwing their backs outs.” But, when a back gets “thrown out” what exactly in the back gets thrown and where does it go? To answer these questions we must do a quick review of the anatomy of the spine.

The spine can be thought of like the mast of a sailboat. The mast is incredibly strong – able to withstand the large force of the sails. It is reinforced with multiple wires that are anchored around the ship. Without these wires, the mast would come toppling down with the slightest breeze. Within the spine the bones act as the mast and the muscles, tendons and ligaments are the wires. Our nervous system coordinates the incredibly complex action of monitoring and adjusting the tension of these “wires” so that we can move fluidly while keeping the spine stable.

So, what happens when you throw your back out? It’s like snipping one or two wires on your sailboat. All of a sudden the other wires have a much greater load placed upon them, and the mast is unable to move properly. In the case of the spine, this stretching and tearing is the fault of either:

1. The nervous systems not properly coordinating the tensions
2. Ligaments being too loose
3. Muscles and tendons not responding to the nervous system’s signals

It’s essentially the same as rolling your ankle. The ankle rolls over, everything stretches and tears and it’s painful and swollen. If not properly rehabilitated the ligaments will stay stretched, the muscles stay damaged and weak and the nervous system can no longer monitor what’s going on. If your back is not properly rehabbed the first time it’s injured, you’re probably going to throw it out again and again over the years.

A specialist in spinal disorders will properly rehabilitate your spine so that throwing your back out doesn’t become a recurring theme in your life. It comes down to making a choice as to what is important for you: dealing with the inconvenience of low back pain episodes throughout your lifetime or using the first or most recent incident as an opportunity to fix the problem permanently. If you want to make your back pain a thing of the past, contact Advanced Wellness Center today.

Healing Tip of the Week:
When Grandma throws her back out, keep her moving. Studies show that the longer someone is on bed rest, the longer it takes to recover. Take short walks, ice and try to get Granny back to her normal activities as soon as possible.