15 Facts You Never Knew About Your Spine
October 6, 2016October is National Chiropractic Health Month, and World Spine Day is October 16. The theme for this year’s World Spine Day is “Straighten Up and Move,” highlighting the importance of physical activity and improving posture as an integral facet of good spinal health and the prevention of injury. In honor of these worldwide initiatives to “straighten up and move,” we’re discussing 15 facts that you probably never knew about your spine.
According to the World Health Organization, one in four adults is not active enough. The World Health Organization also states that over 80% of the adolescent population is insufficiently physically active. How do these statistics relate to the spines of both the young and the old? As WorldSpineDay.org states, “Research has demonstrated that poor posture and inactivity are major contributors to the development of back pain and other spinal disorders.”
Millions around the world suffer from spinal disorders, ranging from low back pain, to neck pain, to scoliosis and disc disease. Since spinal pain has an enormous effect on overall health, a person suffering from spinal pain of any kind may find it hard to maintain the regular habits of everyday life. Read the 15 facts below and share them with your friends and family – the more informed we are, the better we can recognize and, therefore, treat spinal pain and disease.
15 Facts You Never Knew About Your Spine
The back is a made up of bones, joints, ligaments and muscles. There are multiple ways to injure all four of these: you can sprain ligaments, strain muscles, rupture disks and irritate joints, all of which can lead to back pain.
An adult’s spine is made of 26 bones: 24 vertebrae, plus the sacrum and coccyx.
The vertebra at the top of the spine is called Atlas. It is named after Atlas who, in Greek mythology, holds the earth on his shoulders (much like how the top vertebra holds up the human head).
The spine is not straight. There are actually four curves in the spine, meant to prevent humans from falling forward.
Sometimes, back pain is caused by the simplest of movements. For example, from picking up a paperclip from the ground.
Back pain can also be a direct result from disease of the internal organs, such as kidney stones, kidney infections, blood clots or bone loss.
Arthritis, poor posture, obesity and psychological stress can cause or complicate back pain. However, most cases of back pain are mechanical or non-organic (which means that they are not caused by serious conditions, such as inflammatory arthritis, infection, fracture or cancer).
According to the Global Burden of Disease (2010), low back pain is the single leading cause of disability worldwide.
Roughly 8 out of 10 Americans will have back problems at some point in their lives.
2% of women suffer from lower back pain, while 26.4% of men suffer from the same ailment.
Back pain is one of the most common reasons for missed work. Actually, back pain is the second most common reason for a visit to the doctor’s office (the most common reason is upper-respiratory infection).
Half of all working Americans admit to having back pain symptoms each year.
Americans spend at least $50 billion each year on back pain. Remember, too, that that’s the number for the identifiable costs – more costs are likely involved.
9 out of 10 patients never know the primary cause of their back pain.
54% of Americans who have low back pain spend the majority of their workday sitting at a desk.
Here’s one last statistic for you: while 60-80% have a recurrence of low back pain within two years, 90% of cases are resolved within six weeks. At Van Ness Chiropractic, Dr. Van Ness and Dr. Parkin rely on the Gonstead Method as the most natural, least invasive approach for correcting and improving overall health. The Gonstead Method has become the “gold standard” in chiropractic, a standard by which all other chiropractic techniques are measured. Dr. Van Ness has over 19 years of experience with the Gonstead Method and believes it to be the premier method for correcting the spine, relieving back pain and creating a healthier version of you. Schedule a consultation with Van Ness Chiropractic – call 847-842-8070 today.
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