Dr Maggie Ju Acupuncture London Chelsea, North Kensington, Notting Hill, and Richmond

Spine Spinal column or spine provides the main support for the body, allowing the body to stand upright, bend, and twist, while protecting the spinal cord from injury. The spine is made of 33 individual bones (vertebrae) stacked one on top of the other. Strong muscles, flexible tendons and ligaments, and sensitive nerves are surrounding the spine. Any of these structures affected by strain, injury, or disease can cause pain. Spinal nerves and acupuncture Spinal nerves are mixed nerves carrying motor, sensory and autonomic nerve fibers and conducting signals to innervate whole body. There are 31 pairs of spinal nerves which are on each side of the spinal column. They are divided into four groups by their location: eight pairs of cervical nerves at the neck, twelve pairs of thoracic nerves at the upper back, five pairs of lumbar nerves, five pairs of sacral nerves and one pair of coccygeal nerves. Motor nerves innervate muscles and bring nerve signals to the muscles to perform motion tas...

Tendon is a tough band of fibrous connective tissue that usually connects muscle to bone Tendons are highly organized connective tissues that transmit muscle force to the bone. Tendons are resilient during the development of tension, but flexible enough to carry on its function. In the resting state, the collagen fibrils exhibit a wavy conformation. As a tendon is stretched, collagen fibrils begin to straighten out, and, as a result, the tendon becomes stiffer with increasing application of mechanical strain. The transition from tendon to bone and from tendon to muscle is progressive to allow an efficient load transfer minimizing stress concentrations. A healthy tendon is up to twice as strong as the muscle, making the body of the tendon unlikely to tear before the muscle unless the tendon has already been weakened by degenerative changes. The effects of ageing, wear and tear, genetic pre-disposition and inflammation are known factors contributing to tendon injuries. Tendons consist ...