Modern Medical Consequences of the Ancient Evolution of a Long, Flexible Lumbar Spine

• Published in: Journal of Osteopathic Medicine (Online) Vol. 119; no. 9; pp. 622 - 630
• Main Authors: Selby, Michael S., Gillette, Austin, Raval, Yash, Taufiq, Maliha, Sampson, Michael J.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: United States American Osteopathic Association 01.09.2019; Walter de Gruyter GmbH
• Subjects: Back pain; bipedality; evolution; lumbar lordosis; lumbar spine

Modern human bipedality is unique and requires lumbar lordosis, whereas chimpanzees, our closest relatives, have short lumbar spines rendering them incapable of lordosis. To facilitate lordosis, humans have longer lumbar spines, greater lumbosacral angle, dorsally wedged lumbar vertebral bodies, and...