What is your lumbar spine?

The spot where the spinal column in our lower back bend is curling inward towards the abdomen is referred to as the lumbar spine, and it is the third major area of the spinal column. Starting at a distance of five to six inches below the shoulder blades, the lumbar spine gets connected with the thoracic spine at the top and is attached to the sacral spine at the bottom. From the Latin word, "Lumbus" meaning the lion, this part of the spinal column got the name "Lumbar.

As the lower back is very vulnerable as it supports the major part of the spinal column, this part has to be more powerful, flexible, and susceptible to pain due to lifting, winding, and bending.

Several unique characters differentiate the lumbar spine from other areas. As you go down the vertebra, we should know that the lower part should bear more weight than the upper column. To support the entire weight of the upper body, the lumbar spine has five vertebrae (L1 to L5), which are more prominent and are stacked one over other without overlapping one another. The lowest two spinal segments of the Lumbar spine L4 and L5 is involved in more activities, and due to the excess weight it bears to cater to the need of heavy work, they are the most affected areas due to pain aggravating disorders.

The pain caused may be due to overexertion, a herniated disc due to slip or fall, and also due to normal aging. The lumbar spine is connected with the sacrum by the lumbosacral joint. This joint help in the rotation of our back to a certain extent, resulting in the swinging of hip and the pelvis when we walk, run, dance, or bend down doing exercise, or yoga. The lower spine curves or bends inward a little towards the abdomen, which is termed as lordosis.