SPINE
The Spine has two main functions:
It serves as a protective surrounding for the delicate spinal cord and forms the supporting back bone of the skeleton.
The spine consists of 24 separate differently shaped bones (vertebrae) with a curved, triangular bone (the sacrum) at the bottom.
The sacrum is made up of fused vertebrae; at its lower end is a small tail-like structure made up of tiny bones collectively called the coccyx.
Between each pair of vertebrae is a disc of cartilage that cushions the bones during movement.
The top two vertebrae differ in appearance from the others and work as a pair; the first, called the atlas, rotates around a stout vertical peg on the second, the axis.
This arrangement allows the skull to move freely up and down, from side to side.
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