Movement of the spine is a complex process. The spine is made up of 24 movable vertebrae in the neck (cervical), upper back (thoracic), and lower back (lumbar) that are joined by cartilage discs at their bodies and small gliding joints in their arches. Numerous ligaments and muscles connect the vertebrae. The five fused vertebrae of the sacrum move as a unit relative to the lowest lumbar vertebra.

The spine moves in many directions, and our goal is to achieve finely coordinated movements in all directions. The goal of this OS preparation technique is to achieve precise, sequential movement of each vertebra relative to the next vertebra. We call this technique: spinal articulation: the fine art of precisely coordinated spinal movements.

Articulation of the spine – moving one vertebra at a time – is fundamental to create full body control and stabilization. It wakes up the core and develops awareness to the connection between the abdominals and the spine. Looking after your spine and keeping it mobile is of paramount importance.

Spinal Articulation refers to exercises where spinal vertebrae sequentially articulate on one another from the coccyx through the bodies of the spine to the head and from the head back to the coccyx. The spine can articulate from extension through neutral into flexion and vice versa. Effective spinal articulation demands ultimate muscle control, especially from the muscles deep and close to the vertebrae column.