The Vertebral Column

 

Your backbone is made up of 26 bones that move.

 
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The bones in your back start below your ears and run down to the top of your buttock.
You might call the backbone your spine.  Chiropractors call it the Vertebral Column.
The vertebral column is your body's central point for movement and communication.
MOVEMENT:
Connected with muscles, tendons and ligaments the vertebral column anchors all the body's movements.

At the top, your neck allows you to bend and turn your head.

On the sides, the vertebral column connects to your shoulders and arms.  The mid-back is also connected to your rib cage which protects your vital organs like the heart, lungs, liver, etc.

And at the bottom, the vertebral column connects to your hips and legs.
COMMUNICATION:
Messages from the brain go out to the spinal cord.  The spinal cord is like a thick cable.  It goes down a hole in the middle of your vertebral column and then sends nerves out holes in between the back bones.  Messages from all parts of your body take the same route back to your brain.  The whole system is called your Neural (or Nervous) System.

Discs:
Vertebral discs are gel-like shock absorbers that sit in between your bones.



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