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Your nervous system is the center of your thoughts, memory, learning and consciousnes. Nerves control muscle tension, blood vessel openings, glandular function, spatial orientation (proprioception), pain touch, vibration, vision, hearing taste, temperature and other senses-nerves connect your inner and outer worlds.
Your spinal column has four functions:
Your spine consists of 24 vertebrae plus your sacrum and coccyx. The first of your seven cervical (neck) vertebrae (C1), called the "atlas", holds the globe of the skull, as the god Atlas held up the earth. Your second (c2), the "axis", permits head turning and tilting. |
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Your C12 thoracic (mid-back) verebrae (T1 through T12) all connect to the ribs in the back, and all but two (T11 and T12, which "float") join the stemum (breastbone) in front. Your five lumbar (lower back) verebrae are the biggest, thickest and most massice verebrae. These support the weight of your entire spine, which is why so many spinal problems are in the lower back (lumbar) area. Your sacrum is made of five fused vertebrae. The sacum and the hips on either side make up your pelvis. Your coccyx, four fused vertebrae, is what's left of your tailbone. |
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Frequently Asked Questions | Healthy Spine Quiz
