With so many parts to the human body, it's easy for some of them to slip beneath the radar. The cervical spine, or the upper seven of our vertebrae, is among the most under-appreciated and also most vital parts of our body. The cervical spine has 37 separate joints that allow the head and neck to move atop the torso – all while following a constant stream of commands from the reflex mechanisms and special senses.
Think of this: the cervical spine holds up our heavy heads between 14 to 16 hours a day, every single day. This is no easy task! Firstly, our heads are far from evenly balanced on top of our spine. As a matter of fact, it’s tilted heavily forward. Without the help of the cervical muscles, our heads would topple right onto our chest!
Next, our heads are a lot heavier than they look, and that weight can become unbearable over time. For a better understanding, try this experiment: place your elbow on a table and hold a bowling ball for as long as possible. We'd be shocked if you could do that for more than an hour!
Most of what our head is able to do is in thanks to the cervical spine. It is a key part of almost all of our day-to-day activities, including speaking, standing, gesturing, sitting, lying down, and even breathing!
Protect Your Spine
Because the cervical spine is essential to nearly every activity, injuries to this area are extremely serious, and they often result in death. Injuries including the cervical spine can include hitting your head on the bottom of the pool or being tackled in sports, which can compress the cervical spine against the shoulder and cause sever injury. Even simple headaches often involve the cervical spine.
As back and spine specialists, chiropractors have been at the forefront of understanding just how unique the cervical spine is – even apart from the rest of the spine – and taking proper care of it. Give us a call today so we can help your spine be at its healthiest!