Abstract

SUBY, Jorge; GUEVARA, Daniela; THAYER, Rodrigo Zúñiga  and  NOVELLINO, Paula. Fracturas compresivas de cuerpos vertebrales: Análisis metodológicos e interpretativos en restos humanos del Holoceno tardío en el Centro-Norte de Mendoza, Argentina. Intersecciones antropol. [online]. 2022, vol.23, suppl.1, pp.125-136. ISSN 1850-373X.  http://dx.doi.org/https://doi.org/10.37176/iea.23.especial1.2022.714.

Vertebral compression fractures are one of the most frequent fractures in current populations. Although they are also identified in skeletonized human remains, detailed studies in extensive skeletal samples are scarce in Argentina as well as in other countries. Hence, the purpose of this paper is to analyze the prevalence, distribution and possible causes of vertebral body fractures in a sample of human skeletons from populations that inhabited North-Central Mendoza during the late Holocene. A sample of 598 vertebrae of 27 individuals (10 females and 17 males; 1 young adult, 20 middle adults and 6 old adults) belonging to 6 archaeological sites, were studied, through the measurement of the height and morphology of vertebral bodies. Among the studied vertebrae, 1.5% showed compressive fractures, belonging to 4 out of the 27 skeletons (14.8%). All the fractured vertebrae correspond to men, most of them middle adults, with no other pathological evidence, so the most likely cause in these cases is acute axial trauma. A higher frequency of fractures was identified in individuals from the 1500-1000 years BP period, associated with significant cultural and economic changes in the region. However, this hypothesis should be evaluated from larger samples in the future.

Keywords : Vertebral trauma; Paleopathology; Bioarchaeology; Cuyo.

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