
Image Courtesy:ġ.”Gray84″ By Henry Vandyke Carter – Henry Gray (1918) Anatomy of the Human Body – : Gray’s Anatomy, Plate 84 (Public Domain) via Commons WikimediaĢ. “Cervical Vertebrae.” Wikipedia, Wikimedia Foundation, 30 Apr. “Lumbar Vertebrae – Anatomy Pictures and Information.” InnerBody, Available here.Ģ. This is the difference between cervical thoracic and lumbar vertebrae. Lumbar vertebrae are the heaviest and largest among three types, and they form the spine in the lower back. Thoracic vertebrae have articular facets for ribs, and all ribs are attached to thoracic vertebrae. Cervical vertebrae are in the neck region of the midline of the body. It has 7 cervical vertebrae, 12 thoracic vertebrae, and 5 lumbar vertebrae. Summary – Cervical vs Thoracic vs Lumbar VertebraeĬervical, thoracic, and lumbar are three groups of vertebrae in the vertebral column. Have long and fairly thick overlapping spinous processes Lack transverse foramina in the transverse processesĭo not have facets on either side of the body Have two transverse foramina in the transverse processes Heavier than cervical vertebrae, but lighter than lumbar vertebrae Lightest vertebrae in the vertebral column Largest among cervical, thoracic and lumbar vertebrae Larger than cervical, but smaller than lumbar vertebrae Lumbar vertebrae consist of five cylindrical bones that make the spine in the lower back of the body.

Thoracic vertebrae are the twelve vertebrae which allow attachment sites for all ribs. The second topmost cervical vertebra is the axis vertebra which facilitates most of the head movements and provides an axis for side to side head rotation.Ĭervical vertebrae are the seven individual vertebrae located in the neck region, immediately below the skull. The top-most cervical vertebra is the atlas vertebra, which holds the head upright. The individual bones of the cervical vertebrae abbreviate as C1, C2, C3, C4, C5, C6 and C7. Side by Side Comparison – Cervical vs Thoracic vs Lumbar Vertebrae in Tabular FormĬervical vertebrae are the vertebrae in the neck region, located immediately below the skull. Similarities Between Cervical Thoracic and Lumbar VertebraeĦ. They are cervical vertebrae, thoracic vertebrae, lumbar vertebrae, sacral vertebrae and coccyx vertebrae.ĥ.

Total vertebrae of the vertebral column are grouped into five major groups based on the location of them. It is a bony segmented structure that runs on the back of the body. The vertebral column is a part of the human skeleton, which comprises 26 vertebrae.

There are 7 cervical vertebrae, 12 thoracic vertebrae, and 5 lumbar vertebrae. Cervical vertebrae are in the neck region while thoracic vertebrae are in the thorax (chest region) and lumbar vertebrae are in the lower back region. The key difference between cervical thoracic and lumbar vertebrae is their location.
