The 5 columns of the spine are the cervical spine, thoracic spine, lumbar spine, sacral spine and the coccygeal spine.
The cervical spine are the 7 bones in your neck, with the first vertebra that supports the skull.
The Thoracic spine is the 12 bones in your back area.
The lumbar spine is the 5 bones in your lower back area.
The Sacral spine are the 5 sacral bones which fuse into one bone in adulthood.
The Coccygeal spine is the four coccygeal bones which fuse into one bone in adulthood, though the number can vary from 5 to 3.
A column in the spinal cord is a column of bones which protect your spinal cord.
Spinal columns in the spinal cord are also called the spine, vertebral column or backbone.
The spinal column is made up of vertebrae, which are individual bones that are separated by intervertebral discs.
The discs act as shock absorbers to cushion your spinal cord and your vertebrae.
Your spinal column also contains the ligaments which connect your vertebrae together.
The spinal column also encloses your spinal cord and the fluid which surrounds your spinal cord.
You cannot live without a spinal column as the spinal cord is also a column of nerves that connects your brain with the rest of your body, and also allows you to control your movements.
Without a spinal cord, you would not be able to move any part of your body, and your organs could not function.
This is why keeping your spine healthy is vital if you want to live an active life.
The parasympathetic fibers, which control your heart, exit the central nervous system at brain stem level, i.e. the vagal nerve (cranial nerve X).
In contrast, the sympathetic control of your heart originates from the upper thoracic spinal cord segments (Th1–Th5).