Learn About The Spine
The human spine is divided into 5 distinct regions that when put together form most of the structure that is commonly known or referred to as the axial skeleton.
- Cervical
- Thoracic
- Lumbar
- Sacrum
- Coccyx
The cervical spine is made up of 7 vertebrae, the thoracic spine is comprised of 12 different vertebrae, and the lumbar spine in total has 5 vertebrae. All together this makes up 24 bones in the human spine which we can readily adjust through Chiropractic Care. Moving on down the spine, the sacral region is initially composed of 5 pairs of what we call somites, which ultimately fuse together during development to form the sacrum. The coccygeal region, is composed of 3 pairs of somites that in the same way as the sacral region, fuse in development to form the cocccyx, or more commonly known as the tailbone.
Between each one of these vertebrae that comprises our spine is a pair of spinal nerves. We have 31 pairs of spinal nerves in total. It is when these spinal nerves get “pinched” or irritated that we often experience, among other things, pain and discomfort. Sometimes these symproms are immediate, while other times we may not even notice. It is at this point that people often find their way into our office.
Spinal health is extremely important for the overall health of the body.
Click on each of the spinal sections below to learn about the role your spine plays in your overall health.
