Exercises for the back are chiefly intended to strengthen the muscles. The vertebral joints do not need to be exercised, because the spine is never at rest, even when you are in bed. Stiffness in these joints can be helped by exercise only if it is due to weakness in the muscles and ligaments. This [...]
When certain changes have occurred in the structure of the spine, especially if these are the outcome of a degenerative process, there is no way of restoring all the painfree functions of a normal spine. Sometimes people have to be told that there is nothing more that can be done in the way of medical [...]
Back pain frequently responds well to physiotherapy, the treatment by physical methods, as an alternative or adjunct to drugs or surgery. The methods include several different therapies, manipulative procedures, therapeutic movement or exercises, treatment with heat, cold and with electrical equipment. The aim is to help restore the function of the body and rehabilitate the [...]
The body’s central nervous system consists of the brain and the spinal cord, which is the brain’s extension down the spinal canal. The nerve roots which pass in pairs out of the spinal cord at the level of each vertebra, and at the sacrum, proliferate into an abundant network of nerves, some as long as [...]
Any muscular activity and movement causes some increase in spinal stress. If you stand on the bathroom scales and watch the pointer while you raise your arms, you will see it move up. The force needed to lift the arms is passed down your spine to your feet and (via the scales) to the floor. [...]