A team of anthropologists has concluded in a new study that examining the spine of Neandertals, an extinct human relative, may explain back-related ailments experienced by humans today.
The softer material between the intervertebral discs is what causes the spine to curve.
According to Scott Williams, an associate professor in New York University's Department of Anthropology and one of the authors of the paper, Neanderthals are similar to modern humans in that they have curved lower backs.
Neandertals are thought to have a different posture than humans.
The wedging of the Neandertals, the lower back, makes them curve less than modern humans studied in the U.S. or Europe.
The analysis of modern humans began in the late 19th century and ended industrialization, which greatly altered our daily lives. Furniture and desk jobs became more plentiful and encouraged sitting and changes in posture. There was a reduction in high activity occupations. Specific afflictions became associated with working conditions that cause poor posture.
Studies have shown that employees who sit on stools in a forward leaning position are more likely to suffer from low back pain.
Past researchers may have mistakenly concluded that spine formation is due to evolutionary development rather than changed living and working conditions, if they examined the spine from humans who lived in the post-industrial era.
Williams and his colleagues looked at both pre-industrial and post-industrial spines of male and female modern humans from around the world, along with samples of Neandertal.
They found that post-industrial people had more spine wedging than pre-industrial people. Neandertals were different from pre-industrial people. The scientists found no differences between samples from the same era.
Williams acknowledges that because lower back curvature is made up of soft tissues, not just bones, it cannot be determined.
The bones are often all that is preserved in fossils, so it is all we have to work with.
The differences in spine formation between pre-industrial and post-industrial humans offer new insights into back conditions facing many today.
Changes in lifestyle that accompanied industrialization resulted in inadequate soft tissue structures to support lumbar lordosis over time.
The study included researchers from several universities, including the New York Institute of Technology, Arizona State University, and Chaffey College.
More information: Scott A Williams et al, Inferring lumbar lordosis in Neandertals and other hominins, PNAS Nexus (2022). DOI: 10.1093/pnasnexus/pgab005 Citation: What explains our lower back pain? Anthropologists turn to Neandertals for answers (2022, March 3) retrieved 3 March 2022 from https://phys.org/news/2022-03-pain-anthropologists-neandertals.html This document is subject to copyright. Apart from any fair dealing for the purpose of private study or research, no part may be reproduced without the written permission. The content is provided for information purposes only.
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