Vertebrae are the individual bones that make up the spine, stacked in a column from the base of the skull to the pelvis, that protect the spinal cord, support the body's weight, and allow the spine to bend and rotate.
What vertebrae do and how they're structured
Your spine has 33 vertebrae in total, though the lower ones fuse during development. The 24 moveable ones — 7 cervical in the neck, 12 thoracic in the mid-back, and 5 lumbar in the lower back — each share a similar basic structure: a solid cylindrical body at the front that bears load, and a bony arch at the back that forms the spinal canal and provides attachment points for muscles and ligaments. Intervertebral discs sit between each vertebral body to absorb shock and allow movement. The joints between the arches — the facet joints (small paired joints at the back of each vertebra) — guide and limit how each spinal segment moves. The spaces between the arches are where nerve roots exit to supply sensation and motor control to the body. When any part of this system is compressed, inflamed, or altered by injury or degeneration, the effects are felt both locally and in the structures the nerves serve — which is why vertebral problems so often produce symptoms far from the spine itself.
How Sword Health can help
Most vertebral conditions — from fractures and disc herniation to degenerative changes and facet joint irritation — benefit from targeted physical therapy that stabilizes the spine, restores movement, and reduces the load on affected structures. Sword connects you with that level of care from home, with clinical oversight throughout your recovery.
About the author
Carolina Moreira
Medical Director of Clinical Development at Sword Health
