Explanation

Vertebrae are the 33 small bones that make up your spine.

There are seven cervical vertebrae at your neck, 12 thoracic vertebrae at your chest, five lumbar vertebrae at your stomach and five sacral vertebrae at your bum (the lumbar and sacral vertebrae are fused).

Finally, there are four coccygeal vertebrae. These used to be part of a tail human beings had long ago! Each vertebra is attached to the one above and below it by a hinge called a facet joint, and between the vertebrae are spongy discs called intervertebral discs.

Connecting your vertebrae are hundreds of muscles that act like scaffolding to support your spine and allow you to move. Some of the muscles along your spine are so long they stretch almost all the way up, while others only go between intervertebral discs.