The spine has 33 vertebrae, 26 bones in adults
The spine is made of about 33 vertebrae: 7 cervical (neck), 12 thoracic (chest), 5 lumbar (lower back), 5 sacral and about 4 coccygeal. The 5 sacral vertebrae fuse into the sacrum and the 3 to 5 coccygeal vertebrae into the coccyx, so the adult spine is counted as 26 bones. The 24 cervical, thoracic and lumbar vertebrae stay separate and movable.
Frequently asked questions
How many intervertebral discs are there?
There are 23. There is no disc between the first two cervical vertebrae; the discs run from between C2 and C3 down to between L5 and the sacrum.
Does everyone have the same number of vertebrae?
The 7 cervical and 12 thoracic vertebrae are very constant, but in some people the last lumbar vertebra is fused to the sacrum or the first sacral vertebra is separate, so there appear to be 4 or 6 lumbar vertebrae. The coccyx also varies, from 3 to 5 pieces.
What shape is the spine seen from the side?
It is not straight but curves in an S shape: the neck and lower back curve forwards, and the chest and sacral regions curve backwards.
The bones counted
- Atlas (C1)
- Axis (C2)
- Seventh cervical vertebra (C7)
- First thoracic vertebra (T1)
- Twelfth thoracic vertebra (T12)
- First lumbar vertebra (L1)
- Fifth lumbar vertebra (L5)
- Sacrum
Related counts
Other bone counts
- Bones in the human body
- Axial and appendicular skeleton
- Bones of the skull
- Number of ribs
- Bones of the arm
- Bones of the hand
- Carpal bones
- Bones of the leg
- Bones of the foot
- Tarsal bones
- Phalanges of the fingers and toes
Skeleton
Read more
Related reading
- Sarcopenia: what to measure, and what to do, when muscle and strength decline
- What getting up from a chair says about how your body is ageing
- Why ageing bone marrow turns to fat, and a PEMF study in mice
- PEMF and whole-body vibration: two rhythms that reach the body
- Myokines: the signals working muscle sends to the body
- Ageing parents: the changes families notice first
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