The spine consists of a total of 33 vertebrae (7 cervical (neck), 12 thoracal (chest, midback), 5 lumbar (lower back), 9 coccyx (tailbone)) parts that start from the skull and terminate in the spine. Among these vertebrae are the pads we call the disc, the ligaments around it, the muscles behind it and the important veins and internal organs in the front.

The body of the vertebrae and the bone behind the spinal cord are important for our vital functions. Spinal nerve roots from the each spinal cord level distribute to important places like the chest muscles, legs and bladder, anal area etc. like branches in an electrical network.

Normal spine alignment is straight in the anteroposterior. When the human spine is viewed from the side, there is a normal recess (lordosis) in the neck and lumbar region and a natural protrusion (kyphosis) in the back region.