The spinal column is among the core areas of the human body, representing the single largest, unbroken set of connections between the body and the brain. As such, the spinal column and pretty much anything and everything around it, are integral to human operations. However, like all parts of the body, the spinal column can sometimes be prone to a number of physical maladies, not least of which is lower back pain.

The pain is often attributed to strenuous activity involving lifting or over-exerting back muscles. This is commonly displayed for comedic effect in the media, though it occurs often enough in real life to be a concern. Lower back pain is most often an effect of improperly lifting a weight, which puts undue stress on the lower back, as well as some areas of the legs. As the body ages, lower back pain becomes more frequent. This is due to the lower back muscles losing tensile strength and flexibility, along with the spinal column slowly becoming more brittle. Lower back pain, at this stage of the game, is often seen to be just the tip of the iceberg.

Lower back pain, however, may be a sign of something more alarming in store. The spinal column is home to a number of nerves and neural connections. Lower back pain is a relatively minor concern, as more serious damage to the spinal column can result in partial or total paralysis, depending on the extent of the damage. Barring that extreme ? but very real ? possibility, the loss of some motor functions or feeling may also occur if the spine is damaged.

Another concern would be spinal arthritis, which can sometimes go undetected until it is too late. This is understandable, as spinal arthritis does not usually have the same visual signals as arthritis does in the rest of the body. However, the general list of symptoms of arthritis are the same.

The symptoms of arthritis may be similar regardless of what area of the body is affected, but the core problem is that some of these signs are easy to be mistaken for something else. One of the most common and prevalent symptoms of arthritis is pain in the affected areas. This is fine for other parts of the body, but for the back, most people tend to ignore it and believe it to be no different from back pains induced by muscle stress or excessive physical work. Only when the pain becomes a semi-regular occurrence do some people consider the possibility that the problem might be more than just ?normal? pain.

Difficulty in movement, particularly of the lower back and lower limbs, is also among the commonly ignored symptoms of arthritis. This is sometimes speculated to be caused by people believing that these problems are merely the result of aging or improper nutrition. Indeed, difficulty in moving some muscles and bones in the body can be caused by the aging process, which generally limits the range and speed of a person's movements. Also, it is a popular conception that poor nutrition, or the lack of specific nutrients, can make moving the lower half of the body difficult. As a result, as one of the symptoms of arthritis, this is often ignored.

One of the symptoms of arthritis that people generally do not ignore, however is spinal deformity, which is the most outward physical manifestation of spinal arthritis. While this is easily confused with other possible causes of spinal deformity, there is virtually no chance that it would

be ignored.