neutral alignment

Throughout this website and in other exercise literature you may have seen references to "neutral alignment", or a "neutral spine". This page is dedicated to explaining this term.

Your spine consists of 33 vertebrae, arranged into 5 curves:

The spine is capable of flexion and extension movements, and due to the large number of joints making up the spine it is able to flex at one point and extend at another at the same time.

The term neutral refers to a point that lies mid-way between the two end ranges of movement, and aligns the spine as shown above.

If the spine is out of alignment due to either muscle imbalances or other problems, posture will be affected. This can be as varied as having a large curve in the lower back to a "hump back" (also known as Doweger's Hump) in the upper back.

When we are exercising it is important to try and maintain a neutral spine as it relieves some of the pressure on the discs that lie between the vertebrae and reduces the risk of injury.