The spinal column is made up of 33 vertebrae that join together to form a singular structure. The spine is located in the center of the body, from the base of the skull to just below the hip bones. The spinal column is divided into five separate sections. The Cervical, composed of 7 vertebrae, Thoracic, 12 vertebrae, Lumbar, 5, Sacrum, 5 fused vertebrae and the coccyx, another 4 fused vertebrae. Each individual spinal column is separated by interverbal discs and joined together by ligaments and muscles. In this assignment you will distinguish the difference between each section and what makes them different from each other. I will describe the distinguishing characteristics of the different levels and the function they provide. The cervical vertebrae The cervical spine (Cx) is made up of 7 vertebrae. These bones are called cervical 1 (C1) through cervical 7 (C7). The typical cervical vertebrae, C3-C6, have many things in common. They all have vertebral bodies and posterior vertebral arches. The arch is made up of bony structures called pedicles and lamina. There are five joints between all adjacent cervical vertebrae except between C1-C2 (atypical vertebrae), anterior round disc separating the vertebral bodies, and four posterior synovial joints, one pair that connects to the superior vertebra (superior facets) and one pair that connects to the upper vertebra (superior facets). connects to the underlying vertebra (lower facets). The other 3 vertebrae C1, C2 and C7 are atypical. (Moore, K & Dalley, A 2004, pp 482-485) See illustration 1 (appendix) for the cervical spine and its major processes. Cervical 1- The C1, also known as the Atlas, is the first bone found under the occipital bone of the skull. The Atlas is different from other vertebrae because it has no vertebral body...... middle of paper ......ally Oriented Anatomy, Williams & Wilkins, Baltimore, p 483, table 4.1Moore, K, Arthur, D 2006, Clinically Oriented Anatomy, Williams & Wilkins, Baltimore, p 489, table 4.2Moore, K, Arthur, D 2006, Clinically Oriented Anatomy, Williams & Wilkins, Baltimore, p 491, plate 4.3Netter, F 2006, Atlas of Human Anatomy, Saunders Elsevier, Pennsylvania, p153, plate 153Palastanga, N, Campo, D, Soames, R 2002, Human Anatomy and Movement, Butterwoth-Heinmann, OxfordSkeletal structure, viewed on May 27, 2010, Anatomy of the thoracic spine, viewed 17 May 2010, Waugh, A, Grant, A 2008, Anatomy and Physiology, Elsevier, London, Pal Singh, A, Human Spine - Thoracic Spine Anatomy, viewed 20 May 2010,