Your spine provides your body with structural support and protects your spinal cord. The spine consists of 24 bones known as 'vertebrae' which are stacked on top of each other. Doctors describe the spine as being divided into five regions:

• cervical (7 vertebrae)
• thoracic (12 vertebrae)
• lumbar (5 vertebrae)
• sacrum
• coccyx

The spine is capable of complex movements. In between each vertebra is a disc that serves as a spongy cushion that absorbs the shock created when you walk, run, and move. Ligaments hold the vertebrae and discs together and tendons attach muscles to the spine. When you contract your muscles to move your spine, the ligaments are elastic and the spinal column bends and twists.

The spine encloses and protects your spinal cord, the main nerve cord that transmits nerve impulses between your brain and the rest of your body.

Find out more: Understanding How Your Spine Works

Photo © Sebastian Kaulitzki