Understanding the Anatomy of the Spine

A spine surgeon caring for patients in and around Crystal River, Florida, Constantine Toumbis, MD, performs spinal procedures at Citrus Spine Institute. To train for his career, Dr. Constantine Toumbis completed a fellowship in spine surgery at Cleveland Clinic Florida. 

As part of the central nervous system, the spine partners with the brain in acting as the communication hub of the human body. The spinal cord begins at the bottom of the brain stem, in the area referred to as the medulla oblongata, and ends at the conus medullaris in the lower back. Signals from the brain travel down the spinal cord and spread to their destination in the body via the peripheral nervous system. Signals also travel from the peripheral nervous system to the spinal cord, and from there to the brain. 

The spinal cord itself is roughly a foot-and-a-half long and is contained within the spinal column, which is composed of 33 bones, called vertebrae, stacked on top of one another. The spinal column is subdivided into five regions. The 24 vertebrae of the cervical, lumbar, and thoracic regions are movable, while the nine vertebrae of the coccyx and sacrum regions are not. 

Though the spinal column protects and supports the spinal cord, serious injuries can nonetheless occur. Damage to the spinal cord can, for example, frustrate or block communication from the brain to the extremities, and vice versa. It manifests as the inability to feel or to move the arms, legs, trunk, or all of these, depending on the precise location of the spinal cord damage.