In the neck or cervical area, are 7 vertebrae. In the mid-back or thoracic region, are 12 vertebrae. Most low-back pain results from lack of physical activity. The muscles and ligaments become strained very easily. Vertebrae are bones that protect your spinal cord.
Discs are shock absorbers, that can bulge, rupture or wear down.
Disc injuries can range from minor damage of stretching the anulus to a severe injury resulting in a tear of the anulus. This allows the soft center to push out or rupture, sometimes placing pressure on the nerves in the spinal canal. Spinal Stenosis is a local, segmental or generalized narrowing of the central spinal canal or neuroforamina or the various tunnels through which nerves and other structures communicate with that canal by bony or soft-tissue elements that may encroach on the neural structures. It usually results from osteoarthritis. Most medical authorities think that it is a variant of rheumatoid arthritis.