The upper 7 vertebrae in our spine is known as the cervical spine. Seemingly important, it is definitely one of the most under appreciated yet, most vital parts of our entire body. Our cervical spine contains 37 separate joints that grant our neck and head to move above our torso.

Another way to appreciate the cervical spine: the cervical spine endlessly holds up our large heads between 14-16 hours each day. That is not an easy task. To begin, our heads are far from balanced on top of our spine; the head is actually tilted mainly forward. If we didn’t have our cervical muscles our head would fall over onto our chest.

Secondly, the weight of our heads will become intolerable after some time. If you want to have more understanding, complete this experiment: hold a bowling ball with your elbow on a table for as long as you can bear it. Not many people will be able to told it for longer than an hour.

This means that the cervical spine is a huge part of our daily lives, such as sitting, standing, lying down, speaking, breathing and many more. Whatever our head does, it is mainly thanks to our cervical spine.

Protecting Your Spine

This is why injuries, or cervical pain in this area, are such a serious incident. As an example, striking your head at the bottom of the pool or tackling someone in a football game will compress the cervical spine against the shoulder and cause grave injury. Even everyday headaches typically involve the cervical spine.

This is why you should be glad to know that chiropractors have paved a way in understanding the cervical spine, its uniqueness and how to deal with cervical spine pain. If you are having cervical pain, or are curious of the condition of your cervical spine, contact a chiropractor near you, and let them show you how a chiropractic adjustment can help.