Understanding the backbone: Shifting freely in 3D

As dancers, we ask a number of our our bodies, and our spines take heart stage in each motion. The human backbone is made up of 33 bones — 26 if we depend the fused sacrum and coccyx — divided into the cervical (7), thoracic (12), lumbar (5), sacral (5), and coccygeal (4) areas. It offers us mobility in all instructions, homes our spinal twine, and connects to muscular tissues and fascia that help motion.

However what occurs when one thing goes improper? The decrease again is a standard web site for ache, and we are able to see accidents corresponding to stress fractures, disc points, and nerve irritation. Why does this occur? The identical motive it does for all areas of the physique; there may be extra stress on this space that the tissues can’t address!

The backbone works as an entire

Joints don’t perform in isolation — they depend on their neighbours to all contribute and transfer in concord. For a joint to maneuver freely, those round it should even have good mobility. If one joint lacks motion, one other will compensate by shifting an excessive amount of, creating extreme stress and potential harm. In dance, the place excessive ranges of movement are the norm, this imbalance can turn into an issue.

We ideally desire a small quantity of motion throughout many joints moderately than extreme motion at only one or two. In dancers, bother spots typically seem at L4/L5 (decrease again) and T12/L1 (thoracolumbar junction) as a result of these areas have a tendency to soak up an excessive amount of movement when the remainder of the backbone isn’t contributing sufficient.

Stability vs. Rigidity

True spinal stability doesn’t imply bracing or locking up. It’s about having management and help whereas permitting full motion in three dimensions — ahead/backward, side-to-side, and rotationally. That is the place our deep stabilizing muscular tissues, Multifidus and Transversus Abdominis, come into play. They information movement moderately than block it.

Recognizing nerve ache

Nerve ache typically seems like pins and needles, numbness, sharp burning, or an “odd” sensation. These are warning indicators — by no means push by way of them! In case your again ache lasts greater than every week, worsens, or is accompanied by nerve-like signs, search skilled assist. Ignoring these indicators can result in extra severe points that influence your potential to bounce.

Verify in together with your backbone

Ask your self: Can my backbone transfer freely in all instructions? If one space is stiff, the place may my physique be compensating? Classical and industrial dance kinds each emphasize spinal extension — however does your extension come from all the joints working collectively, or is a lot of the motion concentrated in just a few weak spots?

By bettering full-body mobility and strengthening deep stabilizers, you possibly can hold your backbone wholesome and dancing for years to come back. Transfer good, transfer robust, and let your entire backbone dance with you!

How nicely do you truly perceive the backbone? This video is a pleasant fundamental anatomy overview:

Mobilize your backbone in sagittal aircraft. How nicely are you able to truly transfer? What areas are sticky? What strikes an excessive amount of? This can be utilized for an evaluation and in addition the therapy as a mobilizer.  This video reveals sagittal aircraft movement:

Proceed to evaluate and mobilize your backbone with sort 1 & sort 2 spinal movement. These mobilizers not solely encourage genuine motion within the backbone but additionally enable the muscular tissues to elongate after which shorten in response to motion of our skeleton.