What You Should Know About Your Spinal Curves

What follows are my thoughts on common concerns related to the natural curves that exist in different parts of the spine. This information may be useful should you ever visit a health care practitioner who recommends various treatments with the intent to modify the degree of curvature in your neck, mid-back, and lower back regions.

Q. I recently had x-rays done and the chiropractor told me that my neck is straight, that I don't have a curve in my cervical spine. Do you think not having a backward "C" curve in the neck can be normal? Should I be worried?

When in the womb and during the first few months of life, the cervical (neck) and lumbar (low back) regions of a baby's spine have little to no curve.

When a baby first starts to crawl, it's thought that the constant action of lifting the head to look at their surroundings is what creates a slight backward curve in the cervical spinal region. Bones are quite malleable at this age, so as a baby continuously looks up, the neck vertebrae can change shape ever so slightly to produce this backward curve.

A bit later when a baby begins to stand and walk, the muscles and ligaments that line the front of the pelvis pull the pelvis forward just a tad, which forces the lumbar spinal region to curve backward to allow for comfortable posture while standing or walking. This is what tends to create a slight backward curve in the lumbar spine for most people.

The thoracic spinal region is curved in the opposite direction, as room in the front section of the chest cavity is required to house the heart and lungs.

Most people have the curves described above. But the degree of curvature varies naturally from person to person. It's kind of like teeth - we all have them, but each person's collection of teeth is a little different from all others.

A neck that has very little curve is sometimes called a military neck. I have seen this in people of all ages, and my experience has been that a military neck can come with symptoms (like chronic tension headaches) or can be completely asymptomatic - often times, people with military necks don't know about their lack of a cervical curve until they are x-rayed.

A lack of a natural curve in the cervical spine can be caused by a number of factors, some common ones being:

• Genetics.

• Not using a pillow, or using a very thin pillow during one's early years.

• Lack of significant crawling time as a baby.

Q. Is it true that a straight neck (no natural curve) can cause chronic tension headaches?

A. It's possible, as a straight neck may be accompanied by tight muscles near the base of your skull, which can put pressure on nerves that travel up the back of your head and go on to surround your temples.

But this scenario is also quite common in people who have a "normal" curve in the cervical spinal region, so it's wrong to assume that a straight neck is a definitive cause of tension headaches.

In fact, of the straight neck patients that I have encountered over the years, I've found that most of them don't suffer from chronic tension headaches.

Q. Should I receive treatments and do exercises to try to induce a curve in my neck?

As we age, our bones lose their malleability, so the further away we get from childhood, the harder it becomes to change the curves in our spine.

If you don't have any uncomfortable symptoms in the neck or head region, then I don't think it's necessary to try to coax your cervical spinal region to take on a curve.

If you and your practitioner feel that a health challenge may be resolved by encouraging your cervical spinal region to take on a bit of a curve, you can try resting on your back with a towel rolled up under your neck for ten minutes at a time, a few times a day.

For most people it's best to ease into this routine, so on the first day, aim to lie in this position for just a couple of minutes, and over the course of a week or two, gradually increase the minutes and number of sessions until you get to three to five 10-minute sessions per day.

If you find that passively extending and stretching your neck in this way feels good and there is some improvement in your symptoms, you might consider getting a memory foam pillow that is shaped with a bit of a roll on one end to mimic a rolled up towel. One such pillow that I can recommend is:

Memory Foam Orthopedic Contour Neck Pillow - Full/Thick

A change in curvature won't happen through active, muscle-building
exercises. The only way it can happen is via passive stretching that encourages the vertebrae to take on a bit of a curve, and this is most likely to occur earlier on in life.

Q. Can adjustments to the joints in the cervical spine help induce a curve?

In my experience, no. Carefully applied adjustments to the joints in the spine can help promote optimal joint motion, which can help keep joints and surrounding ligaments and muscles healthy. But adjustments cannot change the shape of your bones or the curve that your vertebrae take on.

Q. Should I go in for any exercises or treatments to help induce a curve in my cervical spinal region?

In my opinion, nothing beats using a rolled up towel. You can take on similar stretches in a doctor's office, but this is really an unnecessary expense.

If your muscles feel tight, you may want to consider visiting a registered massage therapist, someone who can spend a good thirty to sixty minutes at a time working on getting the muscles that surround your neck and upper back to take on a healthy tone.

Dollar for dollar, when seeking natural treatments for physical ailments, particularly those that involve tense muscles, nothing beats massage therapy in my book.

If you can't afford to see a registered massage therapist, a good alternative is to learn and practice massage therapy with a family member or friend. Learning how to massage is a priceless skill, one that you can use to improve quality of life for family and friends. And hopefully, your learning partner will return the favor on a regular basis. If this sounds appealing to you, a DVD worth considering is:

Basic Massage Therapy

In discussing this with a family friend a short while ago, it occurred to me that learning the art of massage as a family has to be one of the best projects that a family could take on. What a great way to spend time together and help each other in a significant way.

Q. What do you think about devices like the "Posture Pump" that are supposed to help establish healthy curves in your spine?

I think towels and pillows work just as well. And if you want an inexpensive, curved surface to stretch your spine on, an exercise ball is a good choice. One that I can recommend is:

Anti-Burst Fitness Ball Set

***

I suppose that my bottom line on this topic is to be aware that each individual has a unique spine, and that the degree of curves in each person's spine can vary quite a lot from the "norm."

If you have musculoskeletal aches and pains around your spine, before you sign up for a series of treatments, I think it makes most sense to work at stretching all of your major joints and improving flexibility of all of your major muscle groups. If you're not sure where to start with this process, an excellent resource is the following book:

The Egoscue Method of Health Through Motion

If you continue to have nagging musculoskeletal problems after giving such a program of self care a fair shot, you can then consult with a practitioner with better self awareness of the nature of your symptoms.

Hope this post is helpful.

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