What is the difference between the spine and the vertebrae?

The spine is one of the most complex bone tissues in the human body. Its function is to support the body's upright posture and completely protect the spinal cord from injury. The spine is also a very important bone for people, and both bones are indispensable to people's health. However, there is a strong connection between the spine and the vertebral column. Let’s take a look at the difference between the spine and the vertebral column. I hope everyone can understand.

The human spine is composed of 33 vertebrae (7 cervical vertebrae, 12 thoracic vertebrae, 5 lumbar vertebrae, and 9 sacrum and coccyx) connected by ligaments, joints and intervertebral discs. The upper end of the spine supports the skull, is connected to the hip bones at the lower end, is attached to the ribs in the middle, and serves as the posterior wall of the thorax, abdominal cavity, and pelvic cavity. The spine has the functions of supporting the trunk, protecting the internal organs, protecting the spinal cord and performing movements. A longitudinal spinal canal is formed inside the spine from top to bottom, which contains the spinal cord (Note: the spine is not equal to the vertebrae or vertebrae; the spine is composed of N vertebrae).

structure:

The spine is composed of 26 vertebrae, namely 24 vertebrae (7 cervical vertebrae, 12 thoracic vertebrae, 5 lumbar vertebrae), 1 sacrum, and 1 coccyx. Since the sacrum is composed of 5 bones and the coccyx is composed of 4 bones, the normal spine can also be composed of 33 bones. (As shown in the figure: side of the spine || behind the spine)

Such a large number of vertebrae are able to maintain a high degree of stability because they are connected by strong ligaments[1]. They are also able to move to a considerable extent because they are connected to each other by intervertebral joints. Although the range of motion of each vertebra is very small, if all of them move together, the range is greatly increased.

The front of the spine is made up of stacked vertebrae, and its front is adjacent to the thoracic and abdominal internal organs. It not only protects the organs themselves, but also protects the nerves and blood vessels to the organs, with only a thin layer of loose tissue separating them. When the vertebral body is destroyed, pus may accumulate in the back of the pharynx in the neck, or descend along the neck to the infraclavicular fossa, or along the brachial plexus to the axilla; in the chest, it may follow the intercostal nerves to the chest wall, or may spread to the mediastinum; in the waist, it may descend along the psoas major fascia to form a psoas major abscess, which may flow to the lower groin, or bypass the lesser trochanter of the femur to the buttocks.

The back of the spine is composed of the vertebral arches, lamina, transverse processes and spinous processes of each vertebra. They are connected to each other by ligaments, and their superficial surface is only covered with muscles. They are relatively close to the body surface and easy to feel. Lesions on the posterior spine tend to penetrate the skin.