I was watching a show a few days ago, and I saw a lady with a nice-looking tattoo on her spine, it was attractive because while I don't think I can ever endure the pain of getting one on my skin, I am fond of simply admiring the good looking ones on others, but I was so concerned about the spine, oh the spine, I thought what if something goes wrong? Just maybe you are wondering why I was so scared, let me take you through how important the spine is.
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The spine is essential, as it is the body's central support structure connecting different parts of the musculoskeletal system, the spine is responsible for helping us walk, stand, sit, bend and twist. A case of back injury or other spinal cord issues would cause back pain and damage the spine. When a spine is healthy, it has three natural curves that create an S-shape, this curve does is that it protects the spine from getting injured. The spine is made up of different parts;
Vertebrae: The spine is made up of stacked vertebrae, which are 33 in total, these small bones form the spinal canal, and the spinal canal is a tunnel that keeps the cord and nerves, ensuring they are protected from every form of injury. Amongst the 33 exiting vertebrae, most of them move in order to permit motion but the sacrum and coccyx are often fused together without any form of movement.
Facet joints: The spinal joints consist of cartilage, and cartilage is a slippery connective tissue that permits vertebrae to slide against one another. Facet joints function by giving room to twisting and turning, they also provide stability and flexibility. The joint at this point can develop back pain, neck pain, and arthritis.
Intervertebral disks: They are flat, round cushions that sit between the vertebrae, they also act as shock absorbers for the spine. Each disk has a soft, gel-like center which is surrounded by a flexible outer ring. Intervertebral disks are usually under constant pressure, the case of a herniated disk, which is also known as slipped, bulging, or ruptured disk, happens to be one of the most common causes of neck pain, back pain, and leg pain, leading to a tear and giving room for some of the available nucleus gel substance to leak out. When a disk is herniated, it could get very painful.
Spinal cord and nerves: There are columns of nerves that travel through the spinal canal, that is what a spinal cord is, the cord is from the skull to the lower back, and there is a total of 31 pairs of nerves branch out through vertebral openings, these nerves move messages between the muscle and the brain.
Soft tissues: The spine is held in position through the connection of the ligaments to the vertebrae, muscles are responsible for back support in order to enable movement, tendons on the other hand, connect bone to muscles, and movement is aided.
For a better understanding of the subject at hand, and to help you realize the reason behind the fear I had earlier, I will also like to describe the spine segments, because they are extremely necessary. I explained that there are 33 vertebrae and these vertebrae make up 5 unique spine segments, beginning from the neck and moving down to the buttocks, the segments are;
Cervical region: This region is the top part of the spine with seven vertebrae, the neck vertebrae are what allow us to tilt, turn and nod our head.
Thoracic region: The thoracic or what some of us like to call the chest part of the spine has 12 vertebrae, the ribs are attached to the thoracic spine.
Lumbar region: The lower back of the spine is made up of five vertebrae, L1-L5, which make up the lower part of the spine. The Lumbar spine actively supports the upper parts of the spine as it connects to the pelvis and bears most weight of the body, including the stress of carrying and lifting items, the majority of back problem attacks the lumbar spine, the lumbar spine bends in an inward direction creating a C-shaped lordotic curve.
Sacrum: This bone is shaped in a triangular form connecting to the hips, the five different sacral vertebrae fuse together with the development of a baby in the uterus, what this means is, they do not move. The sacrum and hip bone are responsible for ring formation known as the pelvic girdle.
Coccyx: This is a small piece of bone found at the bottom of the spine, this piece of bone is made up of four fused vertebrae. Pelvic floor ligaments and muscles are attached to the coccyx.
The spine can be affected by lots of conditions;
- Backs strain and sprains.
- Arthritic conditions.
- Nerve injuries.
- Osteoporosis.
- Injury from the spinal cord.
- Birth defects.
- Neuromuscular diseases
- Spinal cord injury.
- Spine tumors.
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Exercise is a good way to maintain the health status of your spine, I understand that exercises like planks help to strengthen the core and give the spine proper support, always bend your knees, and keep your back straight while lifting an object.
Excessive weight strains your back, so lose weight when necessary and always maintain good posture.
Tattoos and the spine.
According to this published content, thinking that spine tattoos are unhealthy is actually a myth and not a reality. Based on what they have found, it is considered that only the braves actually get a tattoo on their spine as it is one of the most painful spots to get one, this is because the spine is responsible for harboring the nervous system and it is covered by a thin layer. These nerves make the spine extremely sensitive to pain, giving the carriers an unusual sensation and buzz all through the body.
The depth of pain experienced is greatly dependent on the size and type of the tattoo, getting a large tattoo that would run through the length of some groups of persons shouldering a very small one. However, there are some groups of persons that should completely stay away from getting a spine tattoo. If you have a previous medical spine issue, especially one that requires surgery, kindly avoid a back tattoo, a pregnant woman should also avoid going for a back tattoo because the process of placing an epidural catheter during childbirth, could lead to a spine tattoo ink entering other spinal components that could increase potential infection during childbirth.
While going for your spine tattoo, keep these things in mind as a form of healthy precautions;
Eat a healthy meal, and take in lots of water before the tattoo procedure.
Get watchful about the presence of infection.
Get high-quality self-care products.
Keep the tattooed area clean and moisturized.
Do not scratch your tattoo.
Conclusion.
There is no need for much argument on the subject, the option of a tattoo on the spin is completely optional, do you want to get it after considering how painful it is, then by all means go for it, but always remember that safety comes first always, so make sure you are getting it from a professional and a safe place, also if your health does not support it, please avoid it as well. Have a great weekend buddies.