Facts about the Back That You May Not Know
A Fun and Educational List of Back Facts
The origin of the word “spine” comes from the meaning “thorn”.
Around 400 B.C., Ancient Greek physician, Hippocrates, was the first to detail the anatomy and the pathology of the human spine. Hippocrates also created the first instruments to help displaced, painful vertebrae: the Hippocratic ladder and the Hippocratic board.
The spine is 1 of the 3 vitally protective bony structures in your body. It protects the spinal cord while the ribcage protects the heart and lungs and the skull protects the brain.
Steel is about 4.5 times heavier than bone, but bone is actually stronger than some steel.
Humans and most animals have 33 vertebrae. These numbers do not include the bones in tailed animals which are called caudal vertebrae and can contain up to 50 bones. The exception to the 33 vertebrae rule is that of sloths and manatees who will have 1 or 2 vertebrae more or less than other animals. Yes, a giraffe still just has 7 neck (cervical) vertebrae!
25% of your spine is cartilage for flexibility and for shock absorption. For example, if you didn’t have disc padding between each of the vertebrae, you would receive a shock to your head each time you take a brisk walk.
Wearing high heels misaligns the spine causing an abnormal tilt in the lower and upper areas of the back. Long-term use can lead to back conditions that may require medical treatment.
The spinal cord is about ½ inch thick at the neck region and slowly narrows to about ¼ inch as it progresses down the back. It is fragile and depends on of the protection of the vertebrae that surround it.
If injured, the bones of the spine can regenerate but not the spinal cord.
Heroin and Cocaine were prescribed painkillers by doctors up until the 1950’s when the true danger of these drugs was realized.
Low back pain is the most commonly reported pain in the U.S.
Studies in teaching prevention where back injuries are more prevalent show reduction in the downtime of injury of more than 300%