VERTEBRA

Divisions of
spinal segments

There are three major types of vertebra in the human spine: limbar, thoracic, and cervical. Lumbar vertebrae support a major part of the body’s weight and so are cmparatively large and strong. Cervical vertebrae support the head and neck.

IN HUMANS

There are normally thirty-three (33) vertebrae in humans, including the five that are fused to form the sacrum (the others are separated by intervertebral discs) and the fourcoccygeal bones that form the tailbone. The upper three regions comprise the remaining 24, and are grouped under the names cervical (7 vertebrae), thoracic (12 vertebrae) andlumbar (5 vertebrae), according to the regions they occupy. This number is sometimes increased by an additional vertebra in one region, or it may be diminished in one region, the deficiency often being supplied by an additional vertebra in another. The number of cervical vertebrae is, however, very rarely increased or diminished.

Oblique view of cervical vertebrae

With the exception of the first and second cervical, the true or movable vertebrae (the upper three regions) present certain common characteristics that are best studied by examining one from the middle of the thoracic region.