Ask almost anyone about the spinal cord and they’ll tell you it’s the backbone. But there’s so much more to it than that. The spinal cord is a critical bundle of nerves that run from the brain stem to the lowest part of the spine. This single package of nerves is vital since it’s the only way the brain can communicate with the rest of the body – and vice versa.

These nerves, which carry signals from the brain to the rest of the body, are housed inside the spinal canal and protected by the spinal column. These nerves serve the body in two ways: the motor bands carry signals that control muscle movement, while the sensory bands carry signals from the body back to the brain and identify feelings such as heat, cold, pressure, and pain.

The spinal column itself is made up of thirty-three spinal vertebrae, or segments of bone and cartilage. The vertebrae fall into five general groups:

• The Cervical Spinal Cord. This is made up of the top seven vertebrae of the spine. Medical professionals refer to these as C1-C7. An eighth cluster of nerves that connects the C7 and the T1 is referred to as the C8, but does not have its own vertebra.
• The Thoracic Spinal Cord. These are the dozen vertebrae that follow the cervical spinal cord, and are referred to as the T1-T12 vertebrae.
• The Lumbar Spinal Cord. This section includes the five larger vertebrae that rest near the base of the spine, labeled L1-L5. The actual spinal cord ends with the L2, with the rest being nerve roots that dangle from the end of the spine itself.
• The Sacral Spinal Nerves. These five separate vertebrae are fused and don’t enjoy the flexibility of the rest of the spinal column. These are labeled S1-S5.
• The Coccygeal Spinal Nerve. This final section is a pair of vertebrae that share a single nerve bundle.

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