Skip to Main Content
 

Global Search Box

 
 
 
 

Files

File List


6723.pdf (8.92 MB)

ETD Abstract Container

Abstract Header

Neandertal Lumbopelvic Anatomy and the Biomechanical Effects of a Reduced Lumbar Lordosis

Fox, Maria
http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=ucin1378109007

Abstract Details

, MA, University of Cincinnati, Arts and Sciences: Anthropology.
A fundamental change associated with bipedalism was the evolution of a lumbar lordosis, a dorsally concave curvature that enhances the stability of the spine and places the center of gravity over the hips. Recent research suggests that unlike early hominins and modern humans, Neandertals were hypolordotic (Been et al., 2012). Absence of a lumbar lordosis in Neandertals is surprising given both the evolutionary and biomechanical relevance of the lumbar curve in bipedal locomotion. To better understand the function of the reduced lumbar lordosis in Neandertals, two studies were performed: a morphological analysis of human and Neandertal lumbopelvic regions and a kinematic assessment of human subjects walking with an experimentally reduced lordosis. The morphological analysis examined lumbopelvic variables in thirty-nine modern humans and three Neandertal skeletal specimens to determine whether hypolordotic humans and Neandertals share a similar lumbopelvic complex. In the kinematic analysis, 34 subjects posteriorly tilted the pelvis to achieve a reduced lordotic curve, simulating the Neandertal hypolordosis. Walking gait was then examined to determine the effects of walking with hypolordosis. The morphological study revealed that hypolordotic modern humans have significantly longer and more ventrocaudally oriented transverse processes (p < 0.05) than normal or hyperlordotic humans, although Neandertals expressed a different pattern. Hypolordotic modern humans and Neandertals also featured a wide sacral shape index (p = 0.0292) compared to other lordosis groups. These skeletal characteristics present in hypolordotic subjects enhance lumbar stability and robusticity, which are advantageous for stressful physical activity. In the kinematic study, subjects achieved a posterior pelvic tilt (normal mean 8.22º, experimental mean -1.76º, p < 0.0001) and a reduced lordosis (normal mean 24.48º, experimental mean 14.80º, p < 0.0001) in quiet stance. Overall, posterior tilt was associated with no change in lordosis during walking. It appears that a reduction in lordosis is difficult to sustain during locomotion, hinting at the fundamental need for the lumbar lordosis. Hypolordotic strides were reduced in length in females and associated with a flexed knee in both sexes (p < 0.0001). The gait kinematics of experimentally induced hypolordosis in modern bipeds, combined with the relatively short legs of Neandertals, suggest that Neandertals may have been less efficient locomotors over flat terrain than modern humans. However, the Neandertal specimens featured a dorsolaterally positioned hip joint and a lumbopelvic complex uniquely adapted for hypolordosis, which may have alleviated the gait deviations seen in modern hypolordotic subjects. Lumbopelvic adaptations may have also given Neandertals a unique advantage during physically stressful activities such as lifting, so hypolordosis was likely an adaptation to both glacial climates and high activity levels.
Katherine Whitcome, Ph.D. (Committee Chair)
Brooke Crowley, Ph.D. (Committee Member)
Heather Norton, Ph.D. (Committee Member)
109 p.
Physical Anthropology
Neandertal; hypolordosis; lumbopelvic complex; biomechanics; functional morphology; human evolution

Recommended Citations

Citations

  • Fox, M. (n.d.). Neandertal Lumbopelvic Anatomy and the Biomechanical Effects of a Reduced Lumbar Lordosis [Master's thesis, University of Cincinnati]. OhioLINK Electronic Theses and Dissertations Center. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=ucin1378109007

    APA Style (7th edition)

  • Fox, Maria. Neandertal Lumbopelvic Anatomy and the Biomechanical Effects of a Reduced Lumbar Lordosis. University of Cincinnati, Master's thesis. OhioLINK Electronic Theses and Dissertations Center, http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=ucin1378109007.

    MLA Style (8th edition)

  • Fox, Maria. "Neandertal Lumbopelvic Anatomy and the Biomechanical Effects of a Reduced Lumbar Lordosis." Master's thesis, University of Cincinnati. Accessed MAY 04, 2024. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=ucin1378109007

    Chicago Manual of Style (17th edition)

ucin1378109007
689
© , all rights reserved.
This open access ETD is published by University of Cincinnati and OhioLINK.