The spinal column (vertebral column or backbone) provides both structural and nervous system support for your entire body. Made up of 34 bones, the spinal column holds the body upright, allows it to bend and twist with ease and provides a conduit for major nerves running from the brain to the tips of the toes.
- The spinal column doesn’t consist only of bones. To maintain its double-S shape, provide skeletal support and route the nerves where they need to go, the spine also relies on a number of supporting structures.
- First among these structures are the spinal discs, called intervertebral discs. Each disc is similar to a fibrous pad of tissue (called fibrocartilage) and anchored in place by vertebral endplates (called cartilaginous endplates) starting at C3 through L5-sacrum. These discs act as interbody spacers and shock absorbers. When the disc protrudes or bulges out (slipped disc) it can irritate the nearby nerve root causing SCIATICA pain
Facet joints are paired (left, right sides) at the back of each vertebral body (C3-L5). Sometimes these joints are called zygapophyseal or apophyseal joints. These joints help stabilize the spine while allowing flexion (bending forward), extension (bending backward) and twisting movement (called articulation). Similar to other joints in the body, facet joint can undergo wear and tear and be the cause of pain giving rise to morning stiffness.
Different types of spinal ligaments—strong, tough, bands of tissue—connect the vertebrae, discs and facet joints to help stabilize and support the spinal column at rest and during movement. The ligaments act like stretchy-like tension cords that allow the spine’s bones, discs and joints (facet joints) to move within a limited range which can get sprained and give rise to pain.
Para spinal muscles help stabilize and strengthen the vertebral column while supporting and limiting extreme bending, flexing and twisting movements and with abnormal movement can go into spasm and act as a pain generator,
- All of these can act as individual PAIN GENERATORS or in combination giving rise to back pain and neck pain
- Interventional pain procedures help to diagnose the cause of pain and then treat the pathology using foraminal epidurals, nerve root blocks, facet joint injections with radiofrequency ablation, trigger point injections can be done depending on the cause of pain.
