Spinal Anatomy 101
Posted on 11. Aug, 2010 by drchris in Ask Dr. Chris
Your spinal column or “backbone” is made up of 24 vertebrae: seven in your neck (cervical spine), 12 in your midback (thoracic spine) and 5 in your lower back (lumbar spine). Your spinal cord, made up of thousands of nerves, with millions of connections, lies inside your spinal column, protected on all sides by bone. Your spinal cord’s nerves branch out through openings between your vertebrae and connect to your internal organs, muscles, joints, ligaments, tendons and other body parts. This connection is vital for your well-being.
For instance, the nerves from the top of the neck go to the blood supply for the head, pituitary gland, scalp, bones of the face, brain, inner and middle ear, sympathetic nervous system, eyes, ears. So any problem with the top bone or joints in the spine can potentially cause a lot of problems.
For more information on why and how you should look after your spine read through my in depth article about chiropractic here: Why Look After Your Spine
