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The spinal column is a ony column forming the main structural support of the skeleton of humans and other vertebrates, also known as the vertebral column or backbone.
It consists of segments known as vertebrae linked by intervertebral discs and held together by ligaments.
In human beings, the spinal column of the child contains more vertebrae than the adult, in whom a number become fused into two immovable bones, the sacrum and the coccyx, forming the back of the pelvis. The 24 movable vertebrae are the seven cervical (neck), 12 thoracic (back of chest), and five lumbar (loin). The remaining vertebrae include five fused sacral, and between three and five fused caudal. Each vertebra has a somewhat cylindrical bony body (centrum), a number of winglike projections, and a bony arch. The bodies of the vertebrae form the strong but pliable supporting column of the skeleton. The arches are positioned so that the space they enclose is in effect a tube, the vertebral canal. It houses and protects the spinal cord, and within it the spinal fluid circulates.
