The spine supports nearly all the human body's weight and mass. Most of your musculoskeletal system is connected to it. A properly functioning spine enables you to walk, run, twist, bend, hit a baseball, or shoot hoops. Your spine even operates to protect vital organs. At McCabe Chiropractic and Wellness Center in Hudson, WI, our chiropractor treats spinal and musculoskeletal injuries and disorders by correcting spinal misalignment and enhancing your body's overall function.
The Segments of the Spine
The human spine consists of 33 bony vertebrae, and it's separated into five different segments that follow from top to bottom:
- Cervical: This segment consists of seven vertebrae in the neck region. They help you to turn your head from side to side or up and down.
- Thoracic: These 12 vertebrae are in the chest area. The body's ribs attach to the thoracic spine.
- Lumbar: There are five lumbar vertebrae that are attached at the bottom to the pelvis. These lumbar vertebrae support the thoracic and cervical vertebrae above them.
- Sacrum: There are five sacral vertebrae, but they grow or fuse together before we're even born.
- Coccyx: There are four of these vertebrae, and they're also fused together. Pelvic muscles attach to the coccyx.
Other Parts of the Spine
Aside from the vertebrae, there are other parts of the spine that serve important functions. Here are some of those parts:
- Spinal Canal: The vertebral or spinal canal encases and protects the spinal cord and spinal nerves as they extend downward through the vertebrae. A total of 31 spinal nerves protrude from each side of the spinal canal.
- Spinal Discs: These are flat and round pieces of cartilage with a jelly-like substance inside them. They act as cushions between each vertebra. A vertebra can become misaligned, and in turn, a spinal disc can become displaced or even herniate and leak out that jelly-like substance.
- Tissues: The downward chain of vertebrae are connected by ligaments that maintain vertebral position. Muscles are connected to the spine by tendons, which assist in holding it in position.
Visit Us for Chiropractic Care and Treatment of Spinal Disorders
Our chiropractor treats and cares for injuries and conditions of the spine without medications or surgery. If a vertebra has become misaligned, it impinges on the nearby spinal nerve root. That causes pain, and when you're suffering that kind of pain, muscles associated with that vertebra go into spasm. Range of motion is then affected too. If you suffer from neck or back pain, and you live in or near Hudson, WI, visit us at McCabe Chiropractic and Wellness Center. We can treat your condition with gentle and painless chiropractic adjustments and related therapies. Our goal is to eliminate your back pain and restore your full range of motion.