How does the spine work?
The spine is a long column of bones consisting of 33 vertebrae, some of which are fused in the lower portions. There are:
- seven in the cervical region,
- 12 in the thoracic,
- five in the lumbar,
- five fused in the sacral, and
- four fused in the coccygeal.
Each region carries its own unique characteristics that may permit or limit certain movements. For example, parts of the lumbar vertebrae prevent rotation of the spine.
During development, an infant has a C shaped spine known as kyphosis. This alignment develops in the womb and continues in birth because the necessary muscle strength to hold the head up has yet to develop. You can see this in the natural position a baby takes where their legs are drawn up to their chest and their head is tucked to their chin.
As curiosity about the surrounding world develops, the infant begins to look around, slowly gathering the strength to hold their head up for longer and longer. This also develops the natural position known as cervical lordosis where the imaginary C shape faces backwards. These muscles travel deep and act as ropes of a sort, holding the neck and head back, preventing it from drooping forward.
As your infant begins to crawl around and eventually walk, this causes their weight to shift. The pelvis and lower spine now take on the weight of an upper body that didn't exist when they were happily lying down most of the time. This postural change forces the development of lumbar lordosis which distributes weight and allows the developing child to stumble, walk, run, and jump.
What is roundback?
These natural curves exist to support humans throughout their day to day life, but without the proper care and maintenance, these curves can become excessive, or start to disappear. If all the muscles on the body were taken away, you’re left with a skeletal puppet with no strings. The muscles are critical to maintaining the healthiest shape of the skeleton.
When the thoracic spine begins to excessively curve forward, the position becomes known as roundback. In extremely severe cases, this can progress to a hunchback.
What causes roundback?
Children may be born with congenital kyphosis, an improperly formed spine where the vertebrae may fuse together or become misaligned. However, it can occur simply as a result of poor posture and excessive slouching.
Imagine for a second that you’re participating in a competition that required you to hang a 60lb weight from your neck for 30 minutes. To put this in perspective, car tires average about 20lbs, so you’ve now hung three car tires from your neck. For children and adults alike, a very real cause of this condition is the modern day ‘text neck’.
In a neutral position your head weighs about 10lbs, but we don’t notice it because of the support from the spine. As you lean forward to look at your phone in your lap, this can put pressures of 20, 30, and up to 60lbs on your neck. This chronic curvature and stress on the muscles supporting the neck can lead to roundback.
What are the consequences of roundback?
The head should be positioned directly over the spine for optimal health, especially considering that the spinal houses the spinal cord. This cord carries all of our sensory and motor signals around the body to and from the brain. When the curves begin to shift, this can put stress on the spinal cord and potentially compress it if the curve becomes too great.
Spinal compression can lead to a host of issues such as muscle weakness, loss of feeling in areas of the body, or the inability to control normal functions such as bladder or bowels among others.
Now slouch down and bring your chin closer to your chest – take a deep breath. Lift your head into neutral position and stand or sit straight – take a deep breath. You’ll notice that sitting up opens the airway and makes respiration easier. A chronic case of roundback will put increased stress on your respiratory muscles and inefficient breathing can lead to reduced oxygen delivered to the body’s tissues.
How can I fix it?
The best way is to become aware of how you hold your body. When you perform physical exercise, your muscles are inflamed and become sore for a few days, but you don’t continue to feel that burn following recovery. Considering this, it isn’t normal for your neck and upper back to be sore if you haven’t performed aggravating activities. If you’ve been sitting at your desk reading emails or looking down at your phone and notice that your neck is sore, take a moment to stretch it back. Your future self will thank you a quick body check-in.
For relief right now, a topical application of Absolüt Arnica Gel may be just what you need. The gel contains fresh Arnica montana, a herbal remedy used for inflammation and pain relief in muscles and joints.
The plant has been shown to reduce the amount of inflammatory agents circulating in the area where it’s applied, helping dull the pain you may be experiencing. Arnica has also been known to reverse oxidative damage as a result of chronic inflammation, such as the neck and back muscles in roundback.
References:
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/25282388
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/25966322
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/27313358
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/27633215
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/28275210
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/28401567
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/29409630
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/29682532