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. 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.
In a normal spine, vertebrae are arranged in a gentle "S" shaped curve, with the cervical section of the spine curving slightly inward, the thoracic section curving slightly outward, and the lumbar section of the spine curving inward.
A Closer Look at the Sections of the Spine
The cervical spine, also referred to as the neck, consists of the top 7 vertebrae of the spine. The cervical spine in a normal back is the most flexible and mobile region of the spine and enables you to move your head freely from side to side and up and down. Within the cervical region of the spine are two unique vertebra, the atlas and the axis. These vertebrae are specially adapted to enable such rotation.
The thoracic spine or 'mid back' consists of 12 vertebrae and is located below the cervical section of the spine. Your ribs connect to the vertebrae in the mid back.
The lumbar spine or 'lower back' consists of 5 vertebrae (in most cases; in some cases there is a sixth vertebrae in the lumbar section of the spine). The lumbar is located below the thoracic section of the spine. The lower back bears a great deal of the weight of the body and for that reason is particularly vulnerable to back pain.
