Millions of people around the globe suffer from back pain, neck pain, scoliosis, and disc disease. These are only a few of the disorders that affect the spine. A person’s overall health can suffer from spinal pain and disability, sometimes it even prevents them from working or performing simple day to day activities.
Multiple organizations around the world have come together to raise awareness of the prevention and effective management of spinal conditions. World Spine Day is the result and it just so happens that today (October 16th) just so happens to be World Spine Day. To celebrate World Spine Day Advanced Health Chiropractic and Massage Therapy Pain Relief Center in Idaho Falls has compiled a list of facts you should know about the spine.
17 Facts About the Human Spine
- Humans have seven cervical vertebrae – that is the same amount as a giraffe!
- When humans are born their spines consist of 33 individual vertebrae as they age 4 of those vertebrae will fuse to make their tailbone or and 5 will fuse together to make the back of the pelvis, leaving them with 26 individual vertebrae as an adult.
- Your spinal cord is part of your nervous system and it connects your body to your brain.
- There are around 220 ligaments in the human spine.
- There are more than 120 muscles in the human spine.
- The human spinal cord is home to 13.5 million neurons.
- The human spinal cord is divided into 5 different regions cervical vertebrae, thoracic vertebrae, lumbar vertebrae, sacrum fused vertebrae, and coccyx fused vertebrae.
- 35 grams – that is the average weight of a spinal cord.
- The most common cause of back pain in humans is caused by auto accidents.
- More than 100 joint make up the human spine.
- The human spine is incredibly flexible and can bend to form two-thirds of a circle.
- When you sit in a hunched position your lumbar spine is faced with over 200 pounds of pressure.
- Spinal disorders are biggest causes of disability within the working population.
- Gravity has an impact on the spine as we age. Humans start to lose height somewhere between a quarter and a third of an inch each decade once they hit their forties.
- The human spine has an incredible memory, and as such, chiropractors recommend that you take care of your spine with the proper support starting at a young age. Maintaining your posture can go a long way in preventing back pain and other disorders later on in life.
- Astronauts who have spent time in space have come back taller. Without the presence of gravity, the cartilage in the spine is allowed to expand.
- Over an astonishing 80% of Americas will suffer from back pain at some point in their lives. If you are part of this 80% contact your local chiropractor for a diagnosis. Catching a spinal disorder early on will help prevent your spinal and overall health from deteriorating over time.
