Understanding your body is the key to understanding your pain
Your brain is smart, and very selfish. It wants to not only be in the penthouse suite way up at the top, it wants to be in the center. This allows for it to receive and transmit all of the messages it needs to through the nerves and also provides proper blood flow. The brains palace is the skull and it sits on top of the spinal column.. The spine encases the nervous system and provides stability and protection. At the base of the spine sits the sacrum which is like an upside down triangle. This acts as the keystone for the spine as it is wedges in between the bones of the pelvis. The large bony pelvis is therefore the the anchor of the whole system. Pelvis means basin or bowl in Latin. The job of this bowl is to not only hold some of your important organs but to act like a stabilizing point for the transition from the legs to the torso.
So the pelvis is the Key!
The pelvis is the foundation and the sacrum is the base. If the foundation is uneven, the base and everything above it is shifted causing chaos in the rest of the body. Imagine wearing one high heel and one flat shoe. One leg would obviously be longer than the other but they both would have to touch the ground at the same point. So this leg difference would translate all the way up into the pelvis causing it to tilt. This in turn would force the spine to one side and with it would go the skull and brain. This would be unacceptable to the brain because it would affect the blood supply, interfere with balance and disrupt nerve signals. In order to reduce this tilting and get itself back over the center line, the brain would send impulses to the muscles of the back and legs to rotate the pelvis and spine.
The rotation of the spine
The pelvic shuffle
The femurs fit into the pelvis bone at what is called the acetabulum and this form the hip joint. The femurs come in on a small angle and form a ball joint with the pelvis. When the femur is rotated in, the foot turns out and conversely when the femur turns out, the foot rotates in. Because of the angle in which it sits, rotation actually causes the femur to rise up or to drop a slight amount. This provides a way for the brain to balance out the pelvis if it senses it is uneven. If the pelvis is tilted up on the right side, this would cause the spine to lean to the left and since the brain is so selfish I will not allow this. In oder to correct the imbalance there are several options the brain can utilize. If the pelvis tilts upward on the right the right leg becomes shorter than the left and the spine drifts to the side bringing the head with it and a cascade of problems ensue.
4 comments:
Hi Dr. DeFries,
Kelley Eidem here from hubpages! Thank you for your comment.
I also have spondylolisthesis at borderline grade 3-4 on an x-ray when I bend forward.
I went to a chiropractor for treatment, but due to the structural damage to the bones, the treatments had limited effect.
In general, what can you tell me about the GENERAL risk of a borderline 3-4 slipping even further, and possibly producing an emergency situation such as loss of bladder or bowel control?
I was going to have surgery, but started taking 400 mg once a day of CoQ10 only to be surprised by a 90% reduction in my nerve pain.
The neurosurgeon says my other bones are like those of a 25-year old. I am 57. But the L-5 on the backside (pars defects) is obliterated and the worst he'd seen. I've had this since the age of one.
A dinky little fall one year ago brought on the many symptoms of burning pain, thigh seizing up etc.
I'd really like to get a sense of the risk in GENERAL this kind of situation can have.
Thank you.
Kelley
Thanks for your note Kelly.
A 3-4 spondylo with the pars defect is quite unstable. Even with the pain reduction your goal should be to stabilize your low back by reducing excessive extension that tends to be caused by short paraspinals. Have you tried Yoga?
No, I haven't tried yoga yet. Thank you for the suggestion. That sounds like something I should look into.
Kelley
PS. By excessive extention, do you mean not arching the back or bending forward?
Hello Kelly, Sorry I didn't see your post. Arching the back approximates the vertebrae and this will irritate a condition like yours. The muscles of the back are slow twitch muscles and that is why they spasm when overworked. Over time they become hyperactive and "bully" their antagonist muscles which are going to be the abdominals. These abdominals don't put up much of a defense because they are fast twitch muscles and tire our rather easily. This is why I suggest to patients that they stretch their back muscles rather than shorten or strengthen them. I would suggest you see a chiropractor and discuss this therapy with them. THank you for your interest.
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