DANC 3250 Advanced Dance Science Seminar

Prepared by Ashley Baarda

Spine 

    The spine is literally the backbone to our heath as individuals. It can contribute to major heath problems and conditions that are unbearable.

    Most of the causes from back pain usually occur in the lumbar region because it is under constant pressure from the weight of the upper body. Some causes of pain can be changed and some cannot. Causes that individuals can fix are: smoking, a job that requires long times of standing or sitting, poor posture, being overweight and not exercising regularly. Some causes that are not fixable are: being middle- aged, family history of problems or a previous spinal surgery. 
    The spine has three major regions: the lumbar or lower back, thoracic or middle back and the cervical area or the upper back. The spine consists of twenty-four bones and is a strong flexible rod that protects the spinal cord. Joints are located at each vertebra and discs are located in between vertebra. The discs act as “shock absorbers” or essentially the tissue that can prevent the rubbing of bones. 
    There are many different types of spine disorders, some can be extremely painful and others can prevent flexibility in the back. The types of disorders are as follows: degenerative discs, scoliosis, spondylolisthesis, herniated discs, spinal stenosis and arthritis. 

www.spine-health.com

This website has interactive videos about degenerative disc disease, spinal fusion surgery and other lower back pain. It offers types of wellness and exercises for recommended treatment. 

www.webmd.com

Web MD is a site that is useful for all types of health related issues. When on the site find the blue box that says “Health A-Z” and find back pain. To the right of the screen there is a Hot Topics in Back Pain box that has a lot of useful information on back related issues.

www.clevelandclinic.org

Cleveland Clinic is a website that offers a wide variety of information dealing with back pain and spinal issues. Click on the letter “B” to find back related tabs for information. This site is also good because it offers general knowledge of the spine (anatomy) that is helpful when figuring out what could be a problem. 

www.spineuniverse.com

Spine Universe is a great site that contains bountiful information on the spine. When first clicking on the site you see if offers many different areas to research. My favorites were the videos on related spinal issues. You can find these animation videos by clicking “low back pain” or others on the left side of the screen. It gives a clear view of the spine and surrounding elements that can cause discomforts.

www.familydoctor.org

This site I like to think of as an all around site not necessarily only for spinal issues. When on this site look for the box that says “Health Tools,” then go to search by symptom. Look for the Low Back Pain button and it will take you through a series of questions to help determine what could be the issue. A good way of trying to figure out what could possibly be wrong if you suffer from back problems, but can also be good for other health related issues as well.

www.back.com 

This website is a great all-around tool for the spine. It has many buttons to click on the left side of the screen when entering the site. The anatomy button for example gives an overview of the structure of the spine. 

www.spine.org 

In this site I looked for lower back problems. I clicked on Spine Health Features then clicked on Back Pain Basics. The site takes you through questions and answers about the back when experiencing pain. The Spine Health IQ is also a good choice for more information about risks on spinal issues.

www.med.nyu.edu/hjd/harkness/patients/injuries/spine.html

This exact address goes directly to spinal issues for dancers. This can be helpful for dancers problems and general knowledge for the spine. It gives great topics for Common Dance Injuries not only for the spine, but many other body parts.

www.righthealth.com

This website is jammed pack with information on the spine. When entering the site, go to the explore tab and type in the issue. For example, type in back pain and a bunch of related topics for spine issues come up. In the explore tab, type in "back issues for dancers" and good info comes up for dancers.

www.healthline.com

This site is jam-packed with information not just for the spine, but all sorts of other issues dealing with health. Go to the tab that said “Diseases and Conditions.” Then click on the letter “B” for back to find all sorts of issues.