The vertebral column is one of the most consistent structures between adults. Don’t get me wrong – it differs A LOT in shape and size but the actual number of bones (vertebra) that form the vertebral column is essentially the same between adults. The vertebral column of an adult is made up of 7 cervical, 12 thoracic, 5 lumbar, 1 sacrum (5 fused vertebrae) and 1 coccyx (4 fused vertebrae). Yes there are always exceptions to these numbers, such as additional or fused vertebrae, but these are rare.
Some of you may have experienced being confused during a physical exam by the presence of an extra lumpy spinous process, or perhaps you couldn’t quite get your head around an abnormal X Ray scan that a patient brought in without a report.
The consistency of the vertebral column is a hack that you should be using in your clinical practice. Once you can learn and remember the associations between vertebral levels and different parts of the body it will be like learning cmd+f for the first time!
Such a time saver!
These two infographics summarize the key vertebral levels that we think are essential for the modern musculoskeletal practitioner. Save them somewhere easily accessible and share them with colleagues who also need to learn this hack.
