Spinal Anatomy
We strive at Elevate Life Chiropractic and Wellness to help our patients adopt a “health care model” instead of a “sick care model.” In order to do that, it is necessary for people to have a basic understanding of how their bodies work. Different parts of the back are vulnerable to different problems, so we want to explain what makes up the backbone. The backbone is actually dozens of separate bones, called vertebrae. Most of them are separated by spongy discs that absorb shock. In back, they have protruding bony arches. The spinal cord, which transmits messages between the brain and the rest of the body, travels through the canal made by these arches, and they are linked together by joints. The neck bones are made up of seven vertebrae called the cervical vertebrae. The atlas is the topmost one and the axis is right beneath it, without any disc between. The upper back is made up of the twelve thoracic vertebrae, which the ribs connect to. The lower back is made up of the seven lumbar ...