With Coach Alexa, Online Running Coach and in-person coaching in South Oxfordshire
Looking at the Spine
Today’s video is all about the spine. A lot of people think of the spine as just the bony parts, which is true to some extent. So let’s start with those.
This is the view of the front of the spine – what you would see if you could look through the rib cage and abdomen with x-ray vision. Here you can see the vertebrae, with discs between each one. Small processes stick out to the sides, which are mainly used as attachment points for muscles.
At the bottom is the sacrum, where the spine meets the pelvis at the joints on either side. At the top is the point where the head balances on the neck.
The Rear and Side Views
From the back, you can feel the bony processes sticking out of the vertebrae. These are the knobbly parts you can trace down your spine through the skin. It is not the vertebrae themselves you feel, but these processes. From the side, you can see them sticking out more clearly. These side projections also act as attachment points for ligaments and muscles that control movement of the back.
The side view also shows the natural curves of the spine. The lower back, known as the lumbar spine, curves inward. The thoracic spine, around the rib cage, curves outward. The cervical spine in the neck straightens slightly and may curve inward again. These curves are normal and important for balance and movement.
Muscles of the Spine
Each of the small bony processes serves as an attachment point for muscles. There are many layers of muscles – some lying deeper, some sitting over the top of others – all running along the spine. Together they form a complex network, almost like a knitting pattern, connecting one vertebra to the next.
These muscles allow the spine to bend forwards, backwards, from side to side, and to rotate. Each vertebra has a small degree of movement in all directions, and when combined with its neighbours above and below, the whole spine moves fluidly.
In the next video, we’ll look at the much bigger muscles that sit along the back and support movement in a wider context.
Ligaments and Other Structures
Alongside the muscles are ligaments that connect the vertebrae. There is a sheath of ligaments wrapping around the vertebral column, along with discs between the vertebrae. The spinal nerve runs through the centre of the spine, protected by the surrounding vertebrae and their processes.
So, as you can see, there is a lot happening in the spine – and we have not even touched on the prime moving muscles yet.
Closing Thoughts
This has been a whistle-stop tour of the spine – its bones, muscles, ligaments and curves – showing just how incredible it is as a structure.
I hope that’s useful. Happy running.
