How many vertebrae are in the spine?

It is when the soft center of a disc pushes out through the outer ring and presses on a nerve. It causes back or neck pain that can spread down a leg or arm, with tingling. Many improve without surgery; a doctor decides the treatment.

It is when the spine, seen from the front, curves sideways in an S or C shape. It usually shows up during growth, between ages 10 and 15. One sign is one shoulder or side of the back sitting higher when bending forward. A pediatrician or orthopedist can check it.

The lower back carries a lot of weight, so pain often comes from poor posture, sitting too long, lifting the wrong way or weak muscles. Most of the time it improves in a few days. Strong pain that goes down the leg, or comes with numbness or fever, needs a doctor.

Seven, called cervical vertebrae. The first two, the atlas and axis, are different from the rest and allow nodding and shaking the head.