The second most frequent reason for visits to the doctor in America is lower back pain. Back pain in general is also the fifth most frequent cause of hospitalization and the third most frequent reason for surgery.

Back ailments are the second leading cause of missed work days and costs
associated with that loss of production are estimated to be some $100 billion annually.

Given those stats you might conclude that the human spine is not a very good piece of equipment for holding us upright and bearing the brunt of the wear and tear on the back.

But not so, says Dr. James Iatridis. Dr.Iatridis is not a medical doctor, but works closely with them. He is an engineer by trade and an associate professor at the University of Vermont's School of Engineering and Department of Orthopedics. Dr. Iatridis has been doing some exciting research into ways to improve the health of the spine over time.

Click listen to hear the entire interview.