 This
is a lateral (side) view of a normal spine. The
human spine is made up of 33 vertebral bones. The drawing
shows the locations of the five major spinal levels.
The cervical region has seven
vertebrae (C1 through C7), the thoracic region has twelve
vertebrae (T1 through T12) and the lumbar region has
five vertebrae (L1 through L5). The sacral region consists
of five vertebrae, all fused together to form one continuous
bone mass known as the sacrum (S1). The coccygeal region
consists of four vertebrae, all fused together to form
the coccyx or tailbone. |
Detailed
views of a vertebra and vertebral segment. The drawing
to the right represents a top view of a lumbar vertebra.
The drawing below is a lateral (side) view of a segment
of three lumbar vertebrae.
