Christopher M. Norris - The Complete Guide to Back Rehabilitation

This electronic edition published in 2015 by Bloomsbury Publishing Plc

Bloomsbury Sport

An imprint of Bloomsbury Publishing Plc

www.bloomsbury.com

Bloomsbury is a trademark of Bloomsbury Publishing Plc

First published 2015

Christopher Norris, 2015

[Illustrations Dave Gardner, 2015]

Christopher Norris has asserted his right under the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act, 1988, to be identified as Author of this work.

All rights reserved
You may not copy, distribute, transmit, reproduce or otherwise make available this publication (or any part of it) in any form, or by any means (including without limitation electronic, digital, optical, mechanical, photocopying, printing, recording or otherwise), without the prior written permission of the publisher. Any person who does any unauthorised act in relation to this publication may be liable to criminal prosecution and civil claims for damages.

No responsibility for loss caused to any individual or organisation acting on or refraining from action as a result of the material in this publication can be accepted by Bloomsbury or the author.

British Library Cataloguing-in-Publication Data.

A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library.

Library of Congress Cataloguing-in-Publication data has been applied for.

ISBN: PB: 978-1-4081-8722-7

ePDF: 978-1-4729-1672-3

ePub: 978-1-4729-1671-6

Note

While every effort has been made to ensure that the content of this book is as technically accurate and as sound as possible, neither the author nor the publishers can accept responsibility for any injury or loss sustained as a result of the use of this material.

To find out more about our authors and books visit www.bloomsbury.com. Here you will find extracts, author interviews, details of forthcoming events and the option to sign up for our newsletters.

CONTENTS

HOW THE BACK WORKS

GENERAL DESCRIPTION

The spine is divided into five regions: cervical (neck), thoracic (mid-) and lumbar (lower), with the sacrum and coccyx forming the rudiments of the tail. The spinal column as a whole is made up of 33 individual bones (vertebrae). Each vertebra is numbered to show its position. Cervical vertebra numbers start with C, thoracic T, lumbar L and sacral S. So, for example, the second cervical vertebra counting down from the head is C2, and the fourth C4. The numbering system for every section begins at the head, so the last lumbar vertebra is L5. Note also that, until the 1950s, the Thoracic area was commonly called the Dorsal region, so old books or papers which quote them may use D instead of the T to denote this region. In addition to this, some traditional exercise organisations still use the term Dorsal in their teaching.

Key point

Vertebrae are numbered from the head down, with C1 just below the head and C7 between the shoulders.

STRUCTURE OF A TYPICAL VERTEBRA

A typical vertebra (see ) has an anterior (front) and posterior (back) part. The anterior portion consists of a large circular body flattened slightly at its back. This body is attached above and below to a spongy vertebral disc. The posterior portion of the vertebra forms an arch (called a neural or vertebral arch). This has a total of seven processes attached to it.