Question

How many bones does the vertebral column consist of?

Answer 1

The vertebral column, also known as the spine, consists of 33 vertebrae in total, including the 7 cervical vertebrae in the neck, 12 thoracic vertebrae in the chest region, 5 lumbar vertebrae in the lower back, 5 sacral vertebrae fused together to form the sacrum, and 4 coccygeal vertebrae fused together to form the coccyx or tailbone. However, the number of vertebrae can vary slightly between individuals.

Answer 2

The average person is born with 33 individual bones (the vertebrae) that interact and connect with each other through flexible joints called facets. By the time a person becomes an adult most have only 24 vertebrae because some vertebrae at the bottom end of the spine fuse together during normal growth and development.