Here’s something you may have heard us say before: about 80% of Americans will experience back pain at some point in their lives. That’s almost everyone. If you already knew that, here is another fact: your spine is separated into three parts, the cervical spine (neck), the thoracic spine (mid-back), and the lumbar spine (the lower back). Okay. You probably knew that too. Here are some facts about your back you probably didn’t know:
1. Giraffes. Did you know that humans and giraffes have the same number of vertebrae in the neck? 7 each. That is why human’s necks are so flexible.
2. Muscles. There are over 120 muscles in the spine. That’s a lot of muscles to get sore or injured. I guess it’s a good thing the Chirp Wheel exists so you can get a nice massage for all those muscles.
3. Driving. The most common cause of back pain and trauma to the spinal cord is car accidents (in America). The moral is to be careful when you drive. You don’t want to get stuck with back pain for the rest of your life or give someone else back pain for the rest of theirs.
4. How many vertebrae do you have? Well, it depends on how old you are. The number of vertebrae you have changes from when you’re born to when you’re an adult. Babies are born with 33 individual vertebrae. By the time you are an adult the bottom end of your spine has fused together and you’re left with 24 vertebrae. It’s normal. Don’t worry.
5. Spinal column. The Spinal column has about 220 individual ligaments. But there are three big ones that are most important to holding your vertebrae together: the ligamentum flavum, the anterior longitudinal ligament, and the posterior longitudinal ligament.
6. Cartilage. Over a quarter of the spine is made of cartilage that separates the spinal discs.
7. More cartilage. The cartilage in your spine can expand and contract. If there were no gravity, like you spent some time in space, you would come back taller. That’s why as you age, you get shorter. It’s that gravity pulling you down.
8. Doctor visits. One of the most common reasons Americans visit the doctor is because of back pain. In fact, the Mayo Clinic lists it as one of the top ten.
9. Curves. The Cervical and lumbar spine both curve inward naturally and the thoracic spine curves outward naturally. Together it makes an S shape. If you suffer from any back issues, the shape of your spine might be different. A doctor will help you take care of that and the issues that arise with it.
10. Memory. Your spine can remember things. Not like birthdays or anniversaries but more like posture. If you train your back to have correct posture, your spine will remember it and you’ll feel much better. It may take some time, but that’s only because your spine is probably having a hard time forgetting the poor posture you’ve had for so long.
The more you know about your back, the easier it is to take care of it so you can “Feel Good” and “Do More” without back pain. Besides having a cool anecdote about giraffes you can share at your next outing, hopefully you also found some helpful tips on how to steer clear of back pain. If the only thing you remember from this is to use the Chirp Wheel for back pain relief, we think you’ll turn out just fine.
References
Advisory Board. (2013, January 22). Mayo Clinic IDs the top 10 reasons for doctors’ visits. Retrieved from https://www.advisory.com/en/daily-briefing/2013/01/22/study-ids-the-top-10-reasons-for-doctors-visits
Cedars Sinai. (2021). Anatomy of the spine. Retrieved from https://www.cedars-sinai.org/health-library/diseases-and-conditions/a/anatomy-of-the-spine.html#:~:text=The%20average%20person%20is%20born,during%20normal%20growth%20and%20development.
GA Spine. (2013, April 1). 20 facts about the spine. Retrieved from https://www.gaspine.com/2013/04/20-facts-about-the-spine/
Mayfield Clinic. (2021). Anatomy of the spine. Retrieved from https://mayfieldclinic.com/pe-anatspine.htm#:~:text=The%20three%20major%20ligaments%20of,column%20along%20the%20vertebral%20bodies.
Walk-in Chiro. (2018, July 26). Ten amazing facts about the spine. Retrieved from https://walkinchiro.com/blog/59358-ten-amazing-facts-about-the-spine
100 percent Chiropractic. (2015, October 22). The top 10 spine facts every person should know. Retrieved from https://100percentchiropractic.com/the-top-10-spine-facts-every-person-should-know/
