Scroll no further for these fun facts about your spine

Here are some fun facts that you didn’t know about your spine

-As we get older, it’s not uncommon to lose about an inch in height.  This is due to the discs in your spine wearing down and “shrinking”.

-Most humans are born with 33 vertebrae (“backbones”).   However, some naturally fuse together as we grow and we end up with 26 as adults.

-Both humans and giraffes have 7 cervical vertebrae (neck bones).  However, a giraffe’s neck is about as long as a full grown human is tall.

-A newborn human spine is C-shaped.  The S-shape develops as the baby learns to hold their head up, crawl, and ultimately walk.  It’s the S-Shape that allows us to walk upright with two legs.

-You wake up in the morning slightly taller than when you went to bed.  This is because your discs (essentially your shock absorbers) tend to lose water throughout the day due to supporting your bodyweight.  Sleeping at night gives the discs a chance to rest, rehydrate, and thus make you taller in the morning.

-You have 43 pairs of nerves that directly leave the central nervous system and control all aspects of your body.  12 pairs originate directly from the brain.  The other 31 pairs are spinal nerves (nerves that exit the spine).  These nerves are all prone to irritation via subluxation (misaligned vertebrae). 

-The nervous system is also known as the master control system.  It functions like the computer and wiring that runs your car.  If it were damaged your car would not be functioning normal or it might not even run at all.  As humans we tend to neglect our own body until there is a problem.  At body in Balance Chiropractic we regularly do nerve stress tests as part of our exams.  Schedule an appointment today so we can give you a thorough evaluation of your nervous system.

-yours in health,

Dr. Bryan