Back Problems? Humans May Have Evolution to Blame

Do you have back problems? You may have evolution to blame. Scientists have found that a common spinal disease could be the result of some people's vertebrae sharing similarities in shape to a non-human primate.

Humans are more commonly afflicted with spinal disease than non-human primates. One explanation for this is the tress placed on the spine by bipedal locomotion. Intervertebral disc herniation, which is a widespread cause of back pain, has prevalence rates ranging from 20 to 78 percent, depending on the population. It's caused by the prolapse of a gelatinous substance inside the disc.

In order to better understand back pain, the researchers studied the vertebrae of humans, chimpanzees and orangutans to examine links between vertebral shape, locomotion and the appearance of vertical disc herniation in humans.

"Our study is the first to use quantitative methods to uncover why humans are so commonly afflicted with back problems compared to non-human primates," said Kimberly Plomp, one of the researchers, in a news release. "The findings have potential implications for clinical research, as they indicate why some individuals are more prone to back problems. This may help in preventative care by identifying individuals, such as athletes, who may be at risk of developing the condition."

Of the human vertebrae studied, 54 had "Schmorl's nodes," which are the skeletal indicators of vertical disc herniation. Interestingly, the vertebrae with Schmorl's nodes shared more similarities in shape with chimpanzee vertebrae than the healthy human vertebrae shared by non-human primates.

So what does this mean? It suggests that vertical disc herniation may affect humans with vertebrae that are towards the ancestral end of the range of human variation. In fact, it could be these individuals are less well-adapted for bipedalism and suffer more from load-related spinal disease.

The findings are published in the journal BMC Evolutionary Biology.

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