Susceptibility of the Spine to Pain
Why is the spine so susceptible to pain? The answer lies in man’s acquisition of an erect posture. During the process of evolution, man became a biped from a quadruped. When walking on four feet, the spine was supported by the two hands and feet. It never had to bear the flexion strain as it had no need to bend forward, being supported by the feet.
When man assumed an erect posture, the compression and flexion strains were added to the spine, for which it was not designed. Worst of all, each pair of nerves emerged from the weakest portion of the spine–that is, the intervertebral joints. Moreover each joint contained a disc (except the two uppermost) – a ring of fibro-cartilage with a pulpy centre, and a nucleus pulposus, adding further to the spinal weakness.
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