Vertebral column

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The vertebral column (spine) is composed of 33-35 vertebrae, 24 of which are separated by intervertebral discs; the remaining vertebrae are usually fused to compose two respective bones, the sacrum and coccyx. The vertebral column is divided into five regions: (from superior to inferior) the cervical, thoracic, lumbar, sacral and coccygeal regions. The vertebrae articulate with each other by connecting their bodies and their arches via intervertebral joints. These joints are present throughout the whole spine, while some regions have region-specific joints (e.g., the thoracic spine with the ribs).

The following video tutorial will provide you with a brief overview of the vertebral column, its structure and functions.

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Now that you have watched the video about the vertebral column, you can test your knowledge on the subject by taking the quiz below.

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Download the following PDF worksheets and learn the parts of the vertebral column.

BLANK WORKSHEET (PDF)LABELED WORKSHEET (PDF)

Browse atlas

You can observe the features of the spine and vertebrae in more detail in our image galleries below. This first gallery focuses on the spine as a whole.

While this second gallery takes a closer look at the features of a typical vertebra.

Summary