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lumbar curve

How to Choose a Backrest

Esther Gokhale

January, 2022

It makes sense to be discerning about your backrests and to understand the ways in which they can help or hurt.

This blog post is about sitting with a backrest, which could be the back part of a chair, or something added to the chair for additional support and comfort. Support and relief Virtually any backrest will give relief that a tired back will appreciate. Support is certainly preferable when we sit for longer periods of time to enjoy reading, TV, a movie, or, if we are lucky, live theater. With the trunk slightly inclined against a backrest, there is less compressive force due to gravity acting on the spine. In addition, the trunk stabilizer muscles get a break. When we are driving or traveling by plane or train, a backrest also confers additional protection from vibration or any untoward impact. Read more

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A New Perspective on the Neanderthal Spine

Esther Gokhale

October, 2022

We know the Neanderthals were adept hunters who controlled fire and made shelters, clothing and artifacts. Now we have insights into their posture. . .

October 16 is World Spine Day, which makes this the perfect time to share with you a fascinating piece of recent research about the human spine. In April I was contacted by Scott Williams PhD, Associate Professor at the Center for the study of Human Origins, Department of Anthropology, New York University. He and his team of anthropologists had recently published a scientific paper that concluded that understanding the spines of Neanderthals, a human ancestor, may explain the back pain experienced by humans today. Who were the Neanderthals? The Neanderthals populated Europe and Asia between about 400,00 and 40,000 years ago. Neanderthals became extinct, but are considered one of our most recent evolutionary ancestors. Research shows there is DNA evidence that they interbred with early human populations. Read more

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