1. Both giraffes and humans have seven vertebrae in their necks.
2. As babies, we have 33 vertebrae but as adults we end up with 26. What happens to the 9 remaining bones? Four of them will fuse to make our tailbone and five fuse to make the back of the pelvis.
3. The spinal column has 3 very important functions – it supports the body’s weight, provides flexibility for movement, protects nerve roots and fibers and forms a protective surrounding for the spinal cord– the main pathway of communication between the brain and the rest of the body.
4. The first set of vertebrae (the cervical vertebrae found in the neck) are also called the Atlas. Atlas is a character from Greek mythology who, after losing a fight, was turned to stone and had to carry the weight of the Earth and the Heavens on his shoulders. The cervical vertebrae were also given this name as they carry the weight of the head.
5. The biggest cause of disability in the working population is attributed to spinal disorders.
6. The spine contains over 120 muscles, 220 ligaments and over 100joints.
7. One quarter of the spine’s length is made up from cartilage.
8. Since cartilage discs expand in the absence of gravity, astronauts returning from space may be 1.5 to 2 inches taller than when they left. Gravity’s effect on cartilage is also the cause of humans shrinking between a quarter of an inch and five inches every decade after the age of 40. It also means we are generally taller in the morning than at night because of the daily effect of gravity on the body.
9. The spine is so flexible it can bend far enough to form two thirds of a circle.
WOW… Magical, Mysterious, Mystical Column… get ready to move it!
