The Cervical Spine or Neck

The neck is the most flexible part of the spine, balances and supports the head, which weighs twelve to fifteen pounds. The neck never gets a rest.

Cervical is the Latin word for neck. There are seven cervical vertebrae and they are abbreviated with the symbols C1 through C7. The upper two cervical segments are unique and are shaped differently than any of the other vertebrae in the human spine. The image to the left gives you a detailed anatomical representation of these first two vertebral segments.

C1-C7 (cervical vertebrae): C1 through C7 are the symbols for the cervical (neck) vertebrae, the upper 7 vertebrae in the spinal column (the vertebral column). The first image to the left illustrates the cervical spine. Click it to see an enlarged view.

C1 is called the atlas. It supports the head and is named for the Greek god Atlas who was condemned to support the earth and its heavens on his shoulders. (Because the god Atlas often adorned maps, a compilation of maps came to be known as an atlas). This vertebra supports the skull. Its appearance is different from the other spinal vertebrae. The atlas is a ring of bone made up of two lateral masses joined at the front and back by the anterior arch and the posterior arch.

C2 is called the axis because the atlas rotates about the odontoid process of C2. The joint between the atlas and axis is a pivot that allows the head to turn. The Latin word "axis" means axle or pole. This vertebra has a blunt tooth–like process that projects upward called the "odontoid process". The axis bone serves as the axle about which the atlas (and the head) turn. Click the image below to the left to see a blown up view of the first upper cervical segments.

C7 is sometimes called the prominent vertebra because of the length of its spinous process (the projection off the back of the vertebral body).

Various Components of the Cervical Spine
The Cervical Spine	The First Four Cervical Segments
The Atlas or 1st Cervical Vertebra	The Axis or 2nd Cervical Vertebra

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