VERTEBRAL COLUMN OVERVIEW

OVERVIEW

What is the vertebral column?

• Your spine, composed of vertebrae from your skull to your coccyx, protects the spinal cord within the vertebral canal
• Supports your head and provides attachment for your ribs and back muscles
• Features primary and secondary curvatures that give your body balance, flexibility, and structural integrity
• Contains the vertebral canal that houses and protects your spinal cord

Vertebral Regions

What is the cervical region?

• Your vertebral column is composed of vertebrae and consists of distinct regions:
• Cervical region:
  • Seven vertebrae (C1-C7)
  • Supports your head and allows you to move your neck

What is the thoracic region?

• Thoracic region:
  • Twelve vertebrae (T1-T12)
  • Articulates with your ribs

What is the lumbar region?

• Lumbar region:
  • Five vertebrae (L1-L5)
  • Bears most of your body weight

What is the sacrum?

• Sacrum:
  • Five fused vertebrae
  • Forms the posterior wall of your pelvis

What is the coccyx?

• Coccyx:
  • Three to four fused vertebrae
  • Your vestigial tailbone

PRIMARY CURVATURES

What are the primary curvatures?

• Natural curves you were born with
• Include your thoracic and sacral regions (concave forward)

Thoracic Kyphosis

What is the thoracic kyphosis?

• Outward curvature of your thoracic spine (upper back)
• Extends from the middle of the second to the twelfth thoracic vertebra
• Creates space for your heart and lungs

Sacral Kyphosis

What is the sacral kyphosis?

• Outward curvature of your sacrum and coccyx (pelvic region)
• Extends from the sacrovertebral articulation to the coccyx tip
• Forms the posterior wall of your pelvic cavity

SECONDARY CURVATURES

What are the secondary curvatures?

• Developed after you were born — as you first lifted your head and started walking
• Include your cervical and lumbar regions (convex forward)

Cervical Lordosis

What is the cervical lordosis?

• Forward curvature of your cervical spine (your neck)
• Extends from the atlas (first vertebra) to the middle of the second thoracic vertebra
• Supports your head
• Developed when you first began to hold your head up as an infant

Lumbar Lordosis

What is the lumbar lordosis?

• Forward curvature of your lumbar spine (your lower back)
• Extends from the middle of the last thoracic vertebra to the sacrovertebral angle
• Supports your upper body weight and helps you move
• Developed when you first began to walk as a child

VERTEBRAL CANAL

What is the vertebral canal?

• Hollow tube formed by the alignment of your vertebral foramina
• Houses and protects your spinal cord
• Its shape and size vary by region to accommodate your mobility:
  • Larger in your cervical and lumbar regions for greater nerve distribution
  • Narrower in your thoracic region
• Contains your meninges, spinal cord, and cerebrospinal fluid