Your Amazing Spine – Why You Should Celebrate It on World Spine Day Oct 16 2025

By Dr. Trina Ting

Did you know World Spine Day is a globally recognized day created to recognize that spinal conditions can be a significant cause of disability, long-term health complications, and decreased quality of life? Multiple organizations around the world, bringing together multiple health professionals, support this day in order to bring greater awareness of spinal health. Poor spinal health results in poor quality of life, so let’s learn some interesting facts about our spine:

Your Spine Should be Shaped Like an S

From the side-view, at least! Believe it or not, a stick straight spine would be quite unhealthy for the human body. The spine is purposely built like a gentle backwards S: the curves allow for shock absorption, and even distribution of the body weight through the vertical plumbline of gravity.

Injuries, repetitive strain, spinal fractures and genetic conditions are just some of the ways your natural spinal curves can be altered. The most common affliction we see is called “Tech Neck” or when one’s head carries too far forward. This carries the heavy human head too far forward over the shoulders, resulting in the head feeling much heavier than it should, due to the uneven distribution of gravity.

There are some conditions like ankylosing spondylitis that results in the low back becoming too flat. This can result in chronic low back pain, as muscles further up the spine have to compensate for the lack of curve in the low back. Some muscles can be underutilized, resulting in weak and tight muscles of the core and glutes.

We Are the Only Mammals to Have Recorded Instances of Scoliosis

Speaking of abnormal spinal shapes, scoliosis is a curvature of the spine that often emerges in childhood. Humans appear to be the only mammals that suffer from this condition, which seems to have an unknown etiology. There is a genetic component to scoliosis, and this condition is often seen with other musculoskeletal conditions. It can also cause pain and discomfort in some.

We are Born with 33 Vertebrae, But Die With Only 26!

When we are born, the bones that sit at the bottom of our spine, the sacrum and coccyx, start out as 5 and 4 bones respectively. They fully finish fusing (joining together) to become one solid bone by our late 20s and early 30s.

You Can Be Born with An Extra Vertebra (Spinal Bone) or With One Less Vertebra!

We see this often in the low back: either there are only 4 lumbar vertebrae, or the 5th bone has joined to the sacrum below. Those who have the fusion may be more prone to back pain as it results in greater stiffness / less flexibility of the area.

Your Spine Has a Memory

The spine was designed to protect the spinal cord and all the nerves that extend from it, which is your body’s computer network. All of the feedback over the years your spine receives through the nerves is then stored in the brain. The neurons, or nerve cells, within the spinal nerves, cord and brain have the ability to remember everything that has happened to us. Working on your posture from a young age is most effective due to this ability of the spine to “remember”, but it does require ongoing work to maintain it.

The First Bone of The Spine is Named After a Greek Titan

As the myth goes, Atlas was a Greek Titan who led a doomed rebellion against Zeus and the Olympian gods. Atlas was punished by being condemned to hold up the heavens or sky for eternity. The first bone of the neck, Cervical Bone 1 (C1) is called the Atlas as it also bears the weight of the human head, which is a heavy burden indeed.

As you can see, our amazing spine provides the framework for humans to be upright, as we evolved from our ancestors, and allowed us to advance as a species. It also grew to support our brain and nervous system, and it is a dynamic part of our body that requires care and attention. So remember to take good care of your spine every day, and recognize that good health cannot exist without a healthy spine. Happy World Spine Day on Oct 16!