Lumbar spine

The human spine holds the trunk and is divided into the cervical spine, thoracic spine and Lumbar spine. Every part is exposed to different loads in everyday life.

What is the lumbar spine?

The lower region of the trunk is known as the loin or lumbar or lumbar area, so the part of the spine that holds and supports this area of ​​the trunk is called the Lumbar spine designated.

Due to the Latin term, expressions of lumbar region or lumbar area are also common. The same section of the body is meant here. The word loin is initially derived from the proximity of the kidneys (kidney area).

Anatomy & structure

The Lumbar spine consists of five vertebrae, the lumbar vertebrae. Between each of these vertebrae there is an intervertebral disc. The intervertebral disc is a flexible building block between the vertebrae and is supposed to offer protection from massive impacts.

It is filled with fluid and part of this fluid is lost during exercise, so that it can actually happen that a person shrinks during the day and this loss of fluid can only be replenished at night. The lumbar vertebrae lie in the lower part of the spine, below only the sacrum and finally the tailbone.

As a result, the lumbar spine also forms the cornerstone of the trunk and is therefore essential for walking upright, but it is also exposed to the highest levels of stress. Above the lumbar spine area is the part of the thoracic spine.

Functions & tasks

The Lumbar spine With the intervertebral discs, on the one hand, it supports the trunk and ensures that a person can walk upright;

Only through the flexible shape of the spine with individual vertebral bodies is it possible for the human body to be able to curve, i.e. stoop, rotate and similar things, as well as to ensure that every part of the body is reconnected reaches its original position.

The lumbar spine is surrounded by the lumbar muscles, which support the spine in its entire function and therefore take on an important cooperation function.

In addition, the vertebrae, intervertebral discs and muscles protect the spinal canal and the nerve tracts which run centrally through the entire spine. The intervertebral discs act as a "buffer" or shock absorber.

Illnesses & ailments

Complaints arise mainly in the area of ​​the intervertebral discs and through a so-called lumbar vertebral syndrome. Low back pain often occurs, often associated with lumbago, which is popularly known as the lumbago, in which the pain suddenly and very violently occurs so that the affected person is sometimes no longer able to perform a single movement.

This generic term denotes a number of disorders that cause pain in the area Lumbar spine cause or even radiate much further via the nerve tracts. A very common and well-known phenomenon is irritation of the sciatic nerve, which forks further into the legs. The irritation - from chafing or trapping - often leads to severe pain conditions, which can then usually radiate unilaterally to the feet.

Herniated discs also cause severe pain, often with failure or paralysis, which would require immediate surgical action. In some cases, the intervertebral discs in the lumbar region can be replaced by a so-called intervertebral disc prosthesis. However, this is not a complete healing and does not guarantee freedom from symptoms.

It is just the best way to ensure that heavy loads within the lumbar vertebral area can be absorbed again and that a lumbar vertebral syndrome with permanent, chronic pain does not persist. In very many cases, it has been observed that, for example, violent falls on the lower back usually do not damage the intervertebral disc itself, but primarily the vertebra itself.

There are seldom other diseases of the spine that affect the lumbar spine, for example, a malignant disease or stiffening of the entire spine, caused by the autoimmune disease ankylosing spondylitis.

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Typical & common spinal diseases

• Spinal curvature
• Spinal injury (spinal trauma)
• Vertebral body fracture (vertebral body fracture)
• Vertebral joint arthrosis