The spine's main purpose is to protect the spinal cord. Another purpose is it provides structural support for our body. The spine is the center of the skeletal system.
The spine consists of seven cervical vertebrae which are located in the neck, twelve thoracic vertebrae which are located from the base of your neck to your mid back, five lumbar vertebrae which are located in your low back, A sacrum located below your low back, and a coccyx or your tail bone.
The brain is the control center of your body. The spine is the messenger. The spine carries information to and from the brain. Coming out of the spine are spinal nerves. Spinal nerves separate into regular nerves which go to every cell in your body. Every cell in your body communicates with the brain through the nerves and spinal cord or vice versa.
If a nerve or your spinal cord is damaged or severed which means cut, then information cannot be passed to the brain. For example, if a nerve in your wrist was cut, you would have no feeling of hot, cold, or pain in your fingers. Another example is the spinal nerves from the third, fourth, and fifth cervical vertebrae make up te nerve that goes to your diofram (a muscle located under you lungs allowing you to breathe). If the spinal cord would be severed above the third cervical vertebrae, it would mean instant death because you would not have the ability to breathe.
If you had a minor problem with your spine, such as lifting a heavy box and hurting your back, or you could not move your spine properly you might see a chiropractor. He or she would fix your back with a simple treatment called an adjustment. An adjustment is a quick, but gentle movement to a specific vertebrae that helps align the spine and creates more movement in that vertebrae. If someone has low back pain because of a misalignment in the spine or a vertebrae is locked an adjustment could correct the problem.