|
|
|
|
|
Meet Your Lumbar Spine |
|
|
|
Welcome to your lumbar spine. This usually unappreciated and uncared for structure serves as the basic support for your body's spinal column throughout your life. It is not replaceable, but it can be modified. Its long-term well-being is essential for those wishing to be able to continue to maintain good quality of life. With increasing life expectancy spines have been subject to greater insult, injury, and deterioration resulting in more disability and poorer quality of life. The worst life situation is to have extended longevity but to also have poor quality of life. Given the fact that not all individuals are born with "normal" spines it becomes more and more important to identify faulty spine structures as early as possible so as to be able to circumvent potential problems by initiating preventive programs and thus avoiding disability. The problems are the greatest for those who start life with imperfect spines to start with and then expose them to high levels of insult and injury, due to occupational factors (i.e. truck driver) or professional issues (i.e. professional athlete). These individuals typically become disabled at earlier ages in life. By identifying congenital (genomic) problems early in life and adopting clinically verified effective preventive measures the maintenance of long-term quality of function is possible. This can not happen unless their is understanding and awareness regarding these situations. Promoting this awareness is a real challenge. |
|
|
|
You, as the reader, are being asked to think of your spine as a savings account in a savings bank. These pages ask the question "how much do you have in your account?." If the account is low you need to be aware of this and to make significant contributions because a basic rule in banking is that you can't spend what you don't have. |
|
|
|
 |
|
|
|
