- Anatomy of The Spine
- Back Pain in Children
- Caring for your Spine
- Emerging Spinecare Trends
- Evaluation of Spinal Disorders
- Exercise and The Spine
- Intervention - Spinal Disorders
- Intervertebral Disc
- Non Surgical Options
- Nutrition and Spinecare
- Options for Spine Treatments
- Pregnancy and Back Pain
- Prevalence of Spine Disorders
- Sleep and the Spine
- Spinecare Introduction
- Spinehealth and Disease
- Surgical Interventions
- Treatment with Medications
- Understanding Back Pain
Spinecare Topics
Spine - Health and Disease
The Healing Spine
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The Healing Spine
The Spine under Construction: Living and Remodeling Bone
The vertebrae of the spine finish growing at the approximate age of 25. After this time many tissues of the spine continue to be replaced and remodeled. Bone is a living tissue and is constantly being broken down and layed down. The cells that make bone are referred to as osteoblasts. The cells that dissolve or break bone down are referred to as osteoclasts.
Bone is comprised of an infrastructure like the steel girders in a building. The bony version of the steel girders is referred to as trabeculae. The inside of the bone is somewhat similar in configuration to a honeycomb or a sponge with the connecting elements being the trabeculae. The central portion of the bone has bone marrow. The bone density within the center portion of the vertebral body is less than the exterior of the bone, which is referred to as the cortex. The number of lattices within the bone is dependent on the balance between osteoblastic and osteoclastic function. The balance between these cell groups is strongly influenced by the stresses placed upon the bone. Up to 30-35 years age, the osteoblast and osteoclast function is balanced and the amount of bone created is generally equal to the amount broken down (reabsorbed). After the age of 30-35 most individuals begin to lose bone density. This is due to a greater amount of bone being resorbed rather than new bone being formed.
Facet Joints
The synovial or free moving joints of the body are composed of a slippery surface (articular cartilage), a lubricating fluid (synovial fluid), and are held together by the joint capsule. The joint capsule is lined by the synovial membrane that consists of an inner most epithelial layer, lying on top of a layer of fat (adipose tissue). The synovial membrane produces the lubricating synovial fluid. The outer most layers of the joint capsule consists of dense connective tissue and ligaments.
Tissue Repair
Some tissues such as skin (surface epithelium) can grow back. With more complex tissue relationships, the complex organization is seldom perfectly healed during the healing/regeneration process.
The vertebrae of the spine finish growing at the approximate age of 25. After this time many tissues of the spine continue to be replaced and remodeled. Bone is a living tissue and is constantly being broken down and layed down. The cells that make bone are referred to as osteoblasts. The cells that dissolve or break bone down are referred to as osteoclasts.
Bone is comprised of an infrastructure like the steel girders in a building. The bony version of the steel girders is referred to as trabeculae. The inside of the bone is somewhat similar in configuration to a honeycomb or a sponge with the connecting elements being the trabeculae. The central portion of the bone has bone marrow. The bone density within the center portion of the vertebral body is less than the exterior of the bone, which is referred to as the cortex. The number of lattices within the bone is dependent on the balance between osteoblastic and osteoclastic function. The balance between these cell groups is strongly influenced by the stresses placed upon the bone. Up to 30-35 years age, the osteoblast and osteoclast function is balanced and the amount of bone created is generally equal to the amount broken down (reabsorbed). After the age of 30-35 most individuals begin to lose bone density. This is due to a greater amount of bone being resorbed rather than new bone being formed.
Facet Joints
The synovial or free moving joints of the body are composed of a slippery surface (articular cartilage), a lubricating fluid (synovial fluid), and are held together by the joint capsule. The joint capsule is lined by the synovial membrane that consists of an inner most epithelial layer, lying on top of a layer of fat (adipose tissue). The synovial membrane produces the lubricating synovial fluid. The outer most layers of the joint capsule consists of dense connective tissue and ligaments.
Tissue Repair
Some tissues such as skin (surface epithelium) can grow back. With more complex tissue relationships, the complex organization is seldom perfectly healed during the healing/regeneration process.
- Impaired Healing
- Impaired healing can have a variety of causes including:
- Nutritional deficiencies
- Inadequate blood supply
- Presence of abnormal materials
- Microorganisms.
- Sutures
- Foreign bodies.
- Anti-inflammatory drugs such as Glucocorticoids (suppress inflammation, the first step in repair).
- Recurrent microtrauma (overuse)
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