I was in a re-exam recently. This is when we retest your nerves, original exam findings and update your history. I was discussing their spine and how the subluxation affects it and their life. I realized that I needed to stop and ask if the patient understood the difference between their back and their spine.
Your Spine
Your spine is like the large beam in your basement that holds up the house. While it is not the hose, it is highly important to the house. All of the floor boards and walls connect to this beam and it provides support and structure for your house.
Likewise, your spine in an integral piece of your back, but is not your back. It is the bony structure that houses and protects your spinal chord and nerves (technically, the nerve root). There are 24 individual and moveable segments within your spine. These segments (or bones) provide structure and stability so you remain upright. It provides a place for your limbs, including your ribs to connect to your body. It also provides hundreds if not thousands of attachment points for your tendons/muscles and ligaments. FYI, ligaments connect bone to bone, tendons connect muscle to bone.
Your Back
Your “back” on the other hand includes your spine, rib cage and the multiple layers of muscle and skin 
which overlay the bones. So, when you say, Back pain”, we need to differentiate between your spine, the muscles, ribs, and nerves that make up your back.
Even when you say “Low Back Pain”, do you mean the small of your back or lower down at your tail bone and pelvis. If the later, that also includes a multitude of ligaments and muscles.
“Upper back” can mean the shoulder blades (Scapula) or even the shoulders themselves. If the “upper back pain” is to the right or left of the spine, it could be the muscles or the ribs.
As you can see, your “back” is a much more generic term.
What a Chiropractor Means When….
When we as a Chiropractor talk about your spine, we are referring to (not only) the bones, but also the spinal chord, and nerves. These structures all interact with each other. Just like a motor turns the gears that turn the wheels of your car, your spine bones affect the nerves which control the muscles of your “back”. In other words, when your car stops moving, you may take a cursory glance at the tires, but the real work occurs in the engine. Same with your “back pain.” You may feel it within the muscles, but the real work occurs within your spine.
Some Chiropractors choose to focus on the “back” while others focus on the “spine”. This can lead to confusion on the patient’s (and other health care professional’s) part who think that all Chiropractors are “back doctors” At Nardi Family Chiropractic, we are “Spine” (and therefore, nerve system) doctors. Understanding the difference between your “back” and your “spine” helps understand how Chiropractors are able to help the whole body, including the limbs, organs, and mentality/psyche.
Look for Part 2 of this series when we go more in depth about how Chiropractic helps the limbs, internal organs, and psyche.
Yours in Health,
Dr. Brian
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