Anatomy of The Spine

Your spine is made up of 24 small bones. Each bone is called a vertebra (ver-ta-bruh). These are the building blocks of the spinal column. Together, all the bones that make up the spine are called vertebrae (vert-a-bray).

The spine has three main segments, from top to bottom:

	The Cervical Spine
	The Thoracic Spine
	The Lumbar Spine

Below the lumbar spine is the sacrum (sack-rum). The sacrum is actually a group of specialized vertebrae that connects the spine to the pelvis.

As with other body parts, the spine can become the victim of degenerative disease, arthritis and trauma, some of which can only be remedied by surgery. The most common conditions include:

Anatomy of the Spine The Parts of Your Spine and How They Work     Arthritis of the Spine Lumbar Facet Joint Arthritis     The Cervical Spine Anatomy of the Upper (Cervical) Spine Causes of Neck (Cervical) Pain Symptoms & Diagnosing of Cervical Pain Treatment for Cervical Pain Rehabilitation for Cervical Pain     The Lumbar Spine Anatomy of the Lower(Lumbar) Spine Causes of Low Back Pain Symptoms & Diagnosising Low Back Pain Treatment of Low Back Pain Rehabilitation for Lower Back Pain     Non-Surgical Options Medications Physical Therapy Braces Exercise     Tips for Maintaining a Healthy Spine Tips for Maintaining a Healthy Spine Tips for Maintaining a Healthy Posture Tips for Safer Lifting Tips to Relieve Stress and Tension     Surgical Procedures Anterior Cervical Discectomy and Fusion Cervical Corpectomy Cervical Discectomy Cervical Foraminotomy Cervical Laminectomy Posterior Cervical Fusion Spinal Fusion Total Disc Replacement See video Minimally Invasive Spine Surgery Vertebroplasty and Kyphoplasty	::: Scroll below for a video About Disc Replacement Surgery :::