Be Kind to Your Spine

Your vertebral column is a series of complex, interconnecting parts that support your every movement. Here's how to keep it safe.

- By Gina Tomaine

Whether you are practicing yoga asana or simply walking down the street, it's easy to take your spine for granted until you injure or irritate it. The structures that make up the spine, however, are your body's central scaffolding. They're responsible for keeping you upright and allowing you to stand, stretch, bend, and move in general.

Considering all the good your spine does for you, it's important to treat it with care. The first step toward good spinal health is to be aware your spinal structure, function, and mobility.

Spinal Structure and Shape

The spine is made up of 24 individual, stacked bones-your vertebrae-that are separated and padded by intervertebral discs. That stack supports your skull, protects your spinal cord, gives your ribs and muscles an anchoring place, and is your central support, explains Arturo Peal, who teaches yoga, anatomy, kinesiology, and palpation skills in New Orleans.

The vertebrae are grouped into sections:

• cervical, the bones in your neck that support your head

• thoracic, the mid-back, which connects with the ribs to protect your heart and lungs

• the lumbar, or low back

• the sacrum, which connects your hip bones

• the coccyx, where pelvic-floor muscles attach

The bones of the spine are separated and cushioned by discs that serve as padding between them.

Long muscles attach to the spine to help you stand, bend forward, arch back, or twist. Ligaments keep the whole structure stable.