All About Your Back

Today back pain is one of the most common of all physical complaints in the world. About 70 to 90% of men and women in the U.S. have had or will have a least one bout of incapacitating low back pain. Back pain contributes to lost work time and may cost as much as $100 billion annually (if lost productivity is included¹).

Doctors generally agree that most back problems are caused by stress or by weak muscles. We need strong back , stomach, and hip muscles to resist gravity and to hold us up. As societies around the world become more mechanized and computerized, they have also become less exercised. We lock ourselves behind desks and in front of computers. When we sit, our back muscles hold us erect, but our stomach and hip muscles are inactive. When they are not exercised, stomach and hip muscles become weaker, putting a painful strain on the back muscles. Sitting places higher loads inside the lumbar disc than standing (between 150% to 250% depending on posture).

The condition of your back is very important to your health. A better back can lead to a better body.

Anatomy of the Back

Briefly explained, your spine is made up of the following components:

1) Vertebrae - the bones that make up your spine
2) Nerves - your entire nerve system runs through your spine
3) Discs - spongy material that separates your vertebrae, allowing the nerves to run between each bone segment. Discs act like shock absorbers and allow the spine to flex.

Each vertebrae is held in its proper place by three different kinds of soft tissue-discs, ligaments, and muscles. Almost all back problems are related to the dysfunction of one of these three. To understand the sources of your particular back problem and/or how to prevent back pain, it helps to understand the anatomy of your spine.

The natural curves of the spine are vitally important for giving your back strength and resilience. There are 24 vertebrae in your spinal column. The lumbar vertebrae are approximately two inches in diameter reflecting their weight-bearing role. The cervical vertebrae are smaller, since they must support only the head. Facet joints are located in pairs on the back of the spine, where one vertebra slightly overlaps the next. The facet joints guide and restrict movement of the spine. To the rear of each vertebra is a hole and when the vertebrae are stacked up, these holes form a continuous channel which holds the spinal cord.

The spinal cord provides a vital link between the brain and all body functions below the neck. Spinal nerves emerge from the spinal cord through gaps between the main body of the vertebrae and the facet joints. One frequent cause of back pain is a worn facet joint, which can result in a pinched nerve. Therefore, it is very important to keep your vertebrae in good shape.

This drawing shows a normal disc. The main function of your discs is to act as shock absorbers and provide separation between each vertebrae. The outer layers of your discs are formed from tough cartilage. The inner core of your disc is a jelly-like nucleus.

In total, your discs account for one-quarter the length of your vertebral column- 4.50" to 6" (12 to 15 cm) for most people. The disc acquires its nourishment through fluid-attracting and fluid-absorbing qualities of its jelly-like nucleus.

With no blood supply of its own, the disc is dependent on sponge action for attracting and absorbing nutrients from adjacent tissues. During non-weight bearing activities (sleeping) the discs expand as they soak up fluid, increasing the length of the spine by as much as one inch overnight. During weight bearing activities (sitting, standing, exercising), this fluid is squeezed back into the adjacent soft tissue.

Your vertebra are supported and moved by many different muscles. Muscles are used for three basic functions; support, movement, and posture control. If muscles are tight or weak, they create or worsen back pain. Joints are controlled by at least two sets of muscles, flexors which bend the joint, and extensors which straighten it. In addition, most joints have rotator muscles that twist and rotate your bones. Good posture is only possible if the flexors, extensors, and rotators are in proper balance.

Your paraspinal muscles (which run parallel to your spine) rotate your spine, bend it backwards, and sideways, and influence posture by creating and maintaining the curves of your spine. Your erector spine muscles are involved in movement and run the length of your spine. These muscles help you to bend over by resisting the force of gravity, and to straighten up by contracting and exerting great compressive force on your spine.

Your abdominal muscles play an important role in helping to support the spine by maintaining pressure inside the abdomen. This pressure is an essential measure of counter support to the spine.

Your psoas muscles (hip flexors) are a large group of muscles in the abdomen. These muscles help to flex your hips when walking or climbing stairs. They play an important role in maintaining posture for sitting and standing.

Intravertebral joints are supported by ligaments, tough and inelastic fibers which support the spine and hold it together by allowing only a limited range of movement in any one direction. Ligaments require regular movement and loading, otherwise they will eventually become stiff and weak.

Summary

• There are 24 vertebrae in your back which encase your spinal cord.
• Spinal nerves run through each vertebral joint in your spinal column.
• Your discs act as shock absorbers.
• With no blood supply of their own, discs depend on sponge-like action to soak up nutrients.
• Muscles and ligaments require regular movement in order to maintain flexibility.

The Low-down on Gravity  

You can't see, touch, taste or smell it. Yet we can feel its effects every day and experience its cumulative damage on our bodies over a lifetime. No other force affects us so dramatically.

What force are we referring to? GRAVITY.

When an apple fell onto his head and he formulated the law of gravity, Sir Isaac Newton began to understand the role of gravity in controlling the moon's orbit. However, Newton probably didn't realize the profound effect of this force on the human body.

Have you ever noticed that your pants feel a little tighter around the waist at the end of the day? Have you ever adjusted your rearview mirror up in the morning and then down at night? Did you realize that after the age of 20, you've been losing an average of 1/2" in height every twenty years? Do you suffer from varicose veins, swollen feet or an aching back? If you responded yes to any of these questions, you are a victim of the inescapable, compressive force of gravity.

The results of gravity's constant downward pull on our faces, shoulders, backs, necks, chests, organs, legs and feet are painfully obvious to most of us. Gravity never gives up, nor does it discriminate. Young or old, couch potatoes or athletes - we will all experience change to our bodies as a result of life on this planet!

Exercising will help keep you fit and trim - but exercise is both beneficial and harmful to your body. How can that be? It's called compression fatigue: the more we run, the more weight we lift, the more our bodies pay the toll from gravity.

Spine
Perhaps, the most noticeable effect of gravity on the body is compression of the spine. Our spine consists of vertebrae and sponge-like discs. The downward force of gravity causes the discs to lose moisture throughout the day, resulting in a daily height loss of up to 1/2" - 3/4"! The moisture returns to the disc overnight, but not 100%. Over a lifetime, a person can permanently lose between 1/2" - 2" in height!

Waist
Height loss not only effects the health of your back, but acts like a "domino effect" on the rest of your body. Your organs become compressed and your waist measurement increases (without actual weight gain). You probably call these love handles, but we call them compression wrinkles because they are, in part, a direct result of compression of the spine! This also effects your ability to move and bend, which can seriously hinder your ability to perform simple daily activities.

Organs
Gravity wreaks havoc on the inside of your body as well. Over time, organs begin to prolapse, or fall, from their rightful place in your body. Organ function becomes less efficient. It's not uncommon for people to experience bladder, kidney and digestive problems due to prolapsed organs. In fact, for centuries, yoga practitioners have performed head stands to ensure proper organ placement.

Flexibility
Height loss and larger middles inevitably result in lost flexibility. Perhaps the most vital part of maintaining an active lifestyle as you age is maintaining the ability to move. Gravity can actually rob us of the ability to golf, garden, and play with our grandkids in our later years.

Circulation
If gravity can prevent water from flowing uphill, it can also prevent the blood in our bodies from freely flowing upward. Over time, gravity takes a toll on the circulatory system, which may cause varicose veins, decreased scalp circulation and swollen limbs. Poor circulation to the eyes, ears, skin, scalp and brain is one reason why our most valuable organs deteriorate over a lifetime.

Try this simple experiment to witness the powerful effect of gravity on the circulatory system: lift up your right arm for two minutes. Lower your arm and compare your right and left hands. Which is more pink? Now consider the effect of standing all day on your lower limbs. Our bodies subconsciously understand that we need to aid circulation from our limbs to our heart - how often do you find yourself propping up your legs on a desk or ottoman?

We may call all of these problems the unavoidable effects of aging. The truth is that they are merely a result of the constant force of gravity - and they are not unavoidable.

If you're still unconvinced about the power of gravity, consider this: astronauts grow two inches while in space! During weeks in orbit, astronauts' discs continue to absorb moisture from the blood stream. With no gravitational pull to squeeze moisture out, the discs remain plump, making their spines longer and themselves taller. In fact, space suits are designed to accommodate the extra two inches spinal stretch. Unfortunately, most of us will remain earth-bound for our entire lives. Here are some ways we compensate:

As fetuses, we all develop in the near-weightless environment of our mothers' wombs. During the last trimester, we actually turn upside-down to help with brain development.

As infants, we often slept bottoms-up! Keeping our heads lower than our hearts, we encouraged a proper supply of blood and oxygen to our brain.

As children, we love to "escape from gravity" by riding the swings or hanging upside down on the monkey bars.

As adults, we prop our legs and feet on desks or stools to compensate for gravity's constant presence.

We cannot escape gravity, but we can trick it into working FOR us. How? By reversing your body's position under it's force. Use gravity to stretch and elongate your body. Remember the Nachemson study that indicated you are unable to escape compression even by lying down? This same study indicated that this compression can be overcome by applying traction of 60% of our body weight. Mechanical traction can be too awkward and complicated, and is difficult to practice at home.

The only practical way to achieve this amount of stretching force is through Inversion.

 

Teeter Hang Ups_® Outperforms Competition in Product Quality Tests

There are no government regulations to effectively control the structural integrity or reliable function of inversion tables. The market is therefore subject to inconsistent or inferior product quality. With no way to quantify claims of safety, this term is commonly used without support; so the question remains, what is safe? In an effort to answer this dilemma, STL International, Inc., manufacturer of the Teeter Hang Ups® brand, hired an independent and non-biased engineering firm to compare and test the seven most widely distributed inversion tables. Two pertinent evaluations were the Static Load Test and the Cycle Test, which examined overall durability and function of the units, the main factors pertaining to safety. While the tables are built to appear aesthetically similar, the Static Test (Chart A) revealed weaknesses in key structural components. The standard for medical equipment is four-times the manufacturer’s maximum rated user weight. Teeter Hang Ups surpassed this requirement by 20%. The Cycle Test (Chart B), which simulated actual use, revealed deficiencies on the part of many inversion manufactures, one table having catastrophic structural failure after only 288 cycles (approximately 5-months of use)*. The Teeter Hang Ups brand was the only table that continued to cycle without failure, outperforming the next best table by 38,851 cycles, the equivalent of over 50 years of use. Across all levels of evaluation, Teeter Hang Ups met or exceeded the competitors in durability, quality, and function. Plus, with a five-year warranty and ¼ the parts required for assembly, Teeter Hang Ups leads the market in providing product excellence and customer support. *Tables were cycled using the manufactures maximum user-weight limit, which ranged from 250 lbs to 350 lbs. Considering that most people use their table twice or more a day, and the table is commonly used by multiple family members, the longevity of each table may be significantly reduced. Inversion tables tested (in alphabetical order): Kettler (Apollo) Life Gear (75112) Life Gear (75128) Motion Fitness (GT1000) Stamina (Inversion Pro 551529) Teeter Hang Ups (F5000) Weslo (System WLBE)	Click here to download a printable pdf file of this page.
	Report published by Dynamark Engineering in July 2004. For more detailed information on the complete report, contact STL International, Inc. Toll-free: 800-847-0143

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