Article1994

Vertebral arthritis and physical activities in the prehistoric Southeastern United States

113 citations0/0 files storedAmerican Journal of Physical Anthropology

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Forensic Anthropology and Bioarchaeology Studies Archaeology and ancient environmental studies Paleopathology and ancient diseases

Abstract

Vertebral arthritis is examined in a prehistoric Native American sample from northwestern Alabama. Both osteophytosis (OP) of the vertebral bodies and osteoarthritis (OA) of the apophyseal facets are highest in the lumbar vertebrae, followed by the cervical and thoracic segments, although differences are much more striking in OP. OA is bilaterally asymmetric, with greater prevalence on the right side in the upper thoracic region. Much of the patterning seen in arthritis in this and other samples is due to the stresses imposed by spinal curvature and weight-bearing due to our erect posture. In addition, handedness is the probable cause of asymmetry in OA. However, the high levels of cervical OP are unexpected, and may be due to use of the tumpline in carrying burdens.

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References

2002An Introduction to Human Evolutionary Anatomy 1983Patterns of Activity-Induced Pathology in a Canadian Inuit Population 1991An introduction to human evolutionary anatomy 1907Handbook of American Indians, North of Mexico 1991Degenerative joint disease in hunter–gatherers and agriculturalists from the Southeastern United States 1992Prehistoric Arthritis in the Americas 1980The First Americans: Origins, Affinities, and Adaptations.2013The History of the American Indians

Cited by

1995Patterns of Trauma among the Neandertals 1995Skeletal evidence of osteoarthritis: a palaeopathological perspective.2006Osteoarthritis in Siberia's Cis‐Baikal: Skeletal indicators of hunter‐gatherer adaptation and cultural change 2000Degenerative joint disease in African great apes: an evolutionary perspective 1997Comparative degenerative joint disease of the vertebral column in the medieval monastic cemetery of the Gilbertine Priory of St. Andrew, Fishergate, York, England 2011The Origins of Biocultural Dimensions in Bioarchaeology

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