StudentShare
Contact Us
Sign In / Sign Up for FREE
Search
Go to advanced search...
Free

Bony Structure of the Lumbar Spine - Essay Example

Cite this document
Summary
The paper "Bony Structure of the Lumbar Spine" highlights that the lumbar spine supports the cranial structure, and the upper extremities (the arms and shoulders) and provides protection for major internal organs when the body is postured in a bipedal stance.  …
Download full paper File format: .doc, available for editing
GRAB THE BEST PAPER92.4% of users find it useful
Bony Structure of the Lumbar Spine
Read Text Preview

Extract of sample "Bony Structure of the Lumbar Spine"

Chronic lower back pain negatively affects the daily lives of the majority of working Americans. This pain is categorized as a chronic condition persisting for longer than a twelve week period cause by either a degenerative disorder or a traumatic exterior influence to the spine. The pressures of the modern world are faceted firmly upon the human body’s lumbar spine, which supports significant weight loads during physical activity. The lumbar spine supports the cranial structure, the upper extremities (the arms and shoulders) and provides protection for major internal organs when the body is postured as a bipedal stance. The bony structure of the lumbar spine, unlike the body’s thoracic spine, lacks lateral support but is a specialized structure designed to distribute the weight of heavy loads throughout the back. It consists primarily of trabeculae, a highly vascularized cancellous bone, which is organized in a fashion to redistribute stress throughout the spine. The size of these vertebral bodies progressively increases in direct relation to the augmentation of gravitational loads from the cephalic to the caudal segments of the spine. These segments are connected with ligaments and muscular tissue to each concurring segment located above or below the bony structure. The composition of the body’s intervertebral disc consists primarily of outer annulus fibrosis, which holds the transmitting nociceptors and proprioceptive nerve endings, and the inner nucleus pulposus. Nociception is the process whereby chemical responses to interpret pain or sensation and illicit physical reactions from the brain to the central nervous system, including basic movement. The signals are sent through peripheral neural pathways and are received by the outer annulus fibrosis, posterior longitudinal ligament, facet capsule and the associated muscle groups located in the particular segment of the spine. The composition of the inner annulus, which holds the nucleus, provides the spinal disc with supplemental support during instances of compression. A healthy nucleus pulposus consists of the majority of the surface area of each spinal disc, supporting seven-tenths of the compression against each disc. During the course of adolescence, bone growth balances the proportionate decrease of disc height and loading pressure shifts posteriorly. Over the course of an individual’s development, the overgrowth of bone structures and the inherent hypertrophy of facets lead to the narrowing of central canals and progressive foraminal. Coinciding with herniated discs and the condensing of flavum, these structural changes diminish the diameter of the antiposterior canal and foraminal patency. The stenosis of the spine climaxes during later periods in one’s life and possess the potential to result in vascular, myelopathic and radicular syndromes including spinal cord ischemia and pseudoclaudication. Lower back pain can emerge during the earliest stages of disc degeneration, which generally occurs in the latter stages of an individual’s lifespan. This is referred to as the stabilization phase (Kirkaldy-Willis). A decreasing blood supply delivered strictly to the external third layer of the outer annulus inhibits the healing of intervertebral discs, leading to a condition of chronic nociception. Several previous neurophysiologic studies have found direct correlation between the introduction of lumbar region back pain with the damage and weakening of the superior proprioception centres, directly afflicting the motor control of the individual. These previous studies failed to determine whether the pain directly causes the inhibition of motor control and/or if the lacking motor control causes the pain. Studies conducted by Farfan (1973) and Panjabi (1992) concluded that diminished motor control results in the reduction of an individual’s joint control, leading to pain. Janda (1978) concurred with Farfan’s model, determining that younger individuals with poor motor control are more likely to experience joint related pain as adults. Numerous other studies have concluded that the introduction of chronic pain for an extended period of time results in significant changes of motor control for an individual. Hodges and Moseley (2003) proposed several consequences which pain has upon motor control, including changes in stimulation to spinal responsiveness and proprioception, and common tension upon the central nervous system, such as fear and stress. Several studies also determined that distress and anxiety have been linked to negative adjustments in muscle activity, without intensified pain present. The presence of emotional anguish, including depression, coincides heavily with physical pain, as depression can emerge from an individual bearing the pain. Also, the biochemical processes of the human body for depression and the transmission of pain are similar and can possibly lead to an increased intensification of pain symptoms. Another aspect of human emotion, fear, may also affect motor control. Fear avoidance mechanisms inherent in human activity subconsciously forces individuals to avoid normally performing activities which had previously caused pain or injury. Also, it has been proposed that a lower back pain patient’s exposure to stressors personally relevant to their lives increases muscle activity around the spine more than exposure to generalized stressors. Hodges and Moseley (2003) also noted that an individual’s fear of experiencing pain can inhibit the complete control of the trunk muscles, possibly connecting physiological alterations and psychosocial factors which result in pain. Human conditioning to prevent recurrence of pain and limit the weight of preconceived loads resulting in pain can be interpreted through changes in an individual’s motor control. Another element to this study is that an individual’s ability to control body movement relies upon the motor system’s cognitive sensory detection. Basic reflex responses and complex body movements which are dependent upon accurate body control can be affected by inaccurate afferent input. Patients suffering from lower back pain have been shown in several studies to posses diminished perspicacity to move the spine, along with a weakened ability to reposition the spine. Physical impairment of motor control is common in lower back pain patients, including affected balance control and aspects of sensory cognition. Impaired balance when standing on one or both legs is evident in lower back pain patients, and individuals displaying poor balance when standing have an increased risk of experiencing lower back pain. Observing the changes in individual sensory input when conducting a study on lower back pain is essential to ensure accurate results in which feed-forward and feedback components are necessary to gather data. Several prior studies noted decreased acuity coinciding with the inability to perform repositioning tasks for patients suffering from lower back pain. Another noteworthy factor in the reduction of sensory acuity is muscle endurance related to fatigue, especially with patients experiencing chronic pain. Read More
Cite this document
  • APA
  • MLA
  • CHICAGO
(“Paraphrasing Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words”, n.d.)
Paraphrasing Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words. Retrieved from https://studentshare.org/miscellaneous/1562863-paraphrasing
(Paraphrasing Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 Words)
Paraphrasing Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 Words. https://studentshare.org/miscellaneous/1562863-paraphrasing.
“Paraphrasing Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 Words”, n.d. https://studentshare.org/miscellaneous/1562863-paraphrasing.
  • Cited: 0 times

CHECK THESE SAMPLES OF Bony Structure of the Lumbar Spine

The Various Postural Changes Associated with Pregnancy

But the curve of the lumbar spine increases for most pregnant women during the last three months of pregnancy or a swayback posture is taken up by the body where they lean their upper body backwards and the lower spine maintains the same position.... n so doing, the lumbar spine assumes a more lordotic configuration and the pelvis tilts forward' (Loftus 1996, p.... Abdominal muscles and pubic bones in front of the pelvis support the weight of the growing fetus as the curve of the lower spine increase and in the case of bodies that adopt the swayback position; pelvic ligaments and pelvic floor muscles experience more pressure because here the push is behind pubic bones....
21 Pages (5250 words) Literature review

The Effects of Intervertebral Differential Dynamics on Spinal Injuries

Although, the known cause of low back pain is the disorder of the lumbar intervertebral disks which often leads to irritation of the lumbar nerve roots.... This dissertation "The Effects of Intervertebral Differential Dynamics on Spinal Injuries" is about the effects of Invertebrate Differential Dynamic (IDD) Therapy on Spinal injuries which is categorized as non-surgical and non-invasive therapy that applies the principles of mechanical traction....
12 Pages (3000 words) Dissertation

Laminectomy: An In-depth Scope of Its Entails

The procedure is done to ease or alleviate a strain on the spine or the nerves connected to the spine.... t can be done by eliminating the herniated discs or eliminating any tumors or growths in the spine.... During the operation, the surgeon incises the marked points on the patient's skin and then cuts and rolls over the muscle adjacent to the spine.... he next phase of the procedure is to remove the lamina (the bone protrusion of the spine) or make miniature holes in it....
4 Pages (1000 words) Research Paper

Development of the Human Spine

The multifidus muscles originate from the mamillary processes of the lumbar vertebrae.... The subject of this evaluation 'Development of the Human spine' is a healthy 70-year-old female woman.... Her spine will be the focus of this analysis.... One of the first structures to appear during embryogenesis, the spine develops from the mesoderm layer and shares a common origin with the skin, muscles, and gonads.... Each vertebra of the spine is composed of minerals and protein....
2 Pages (500 words) Case Study

The Lumbar Spine and Radiology

The paper "the lumbar spine and Radiology" explains what is the lumbar spine and what happens when it is damaged.... Were the lumbar spine to be damaged due to radiation from an x-ray, that patient could face never walking again.... the lumbar spine is the long part of the spinal column which allows the human body to bear weight as well as absorbing shocks (Bogduk, 2005, p.... Despite its ability to hold weight and absorb shocks, the lumbar spine is vulnerable and can easily be damaged in a number of ways....
7 Pages (1750 words) Essay

Role of Exercise in Preventing and Treating Osteoporosis

They emphasized that impact exercises, specific strength training, balance, and coordination training enable one to sustain or enhance the density of spine and hip bones and diminish the incidence of falls amongst the elderly group.... The paper "Role of Exercise in Preventing and Treating Osteoporosis" illustrates osteoporosis is responsible for loss of bone strength thereby enhancing the possibility of bone breakage....
10 Pages (2500 words) Literature review

The Basic Principles of the Magnetic Resonance Imaging Image Production

This paper "The Basic Principles of the Magnetic Resonance Imaging Image Production" focuses on the fact that Magnetic Resonance Imaging is a new, revolutionary, and exciting imaging technique used in generating images of the internal structural anatomy of the body to help in the diagnosis.... .... ...
7 Pages (1750 words) Case Study

Rehabilitation Anatomy: Changes in the Anatomical Structure of the Lumbo-Pelvic Region

The paper "Rehabilitation Anatomy: Changes in the Anatomical structure of the Lumbo-Pelvic Region" is an outstanding example of an essay on health sciences and medicine.... The paper "Rehabilitation Anatomy: Changes in the Anatomical structure of the Lumbo-Pelvic Region" is an outstanding example of an essay on health sciences and medicine.... The paper "Rehabilitation Anatomy: Changes in the Anatomical structure of the Lumbo-Pelvic Region" is an outstanding example of an essay on health sciences and medicine....
11 Pages (2750 words) Essay
sponsored ads
We use cookies to create the best experience for you. Keep on browsing if you are OK with that, or find out how to manage cookies.
Contact Us