VTCT - The Structure of the Spinal Nerves

The Structure of the Spinal Nerves

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Unit: Nervous System

The Spinal Nerve Structure

The Peripheral Nervous System (PNS) is composed of the spinal cord and spinal nerves which branch out between vertebral spaces. The function of the PNS is to transmit signals from the CNS to the rest of the body.

The spinal nerves are positioned between each vertebrae and journey to various parts of the body via muscles, sensory receptors, and glands. There are 31 pairs of spinal nerves which have names and numbers allocated depending on their position in the vertebral column.

The following table and image illustrates the names, position and number of spinal nerves found in the PNS.

Table Summary of Spinal Nerves

Here’s a summary of the spinal nerves.

Spinal Nerve	Spinal Nerve Numbers	Total = 31 pairs
Cervical Nerves	C1-C8	8 pairs
Thoracic Nerves	T1-T12	12 pairs
Lumbar Nerves	L1-L5	5 pairs
Sacral Nerves	S1-S5	5 pairs
Coccygeal Nerves		1 pair

More information about the Spinal Nerves

To find out more about the spinal nerves, move your cursor over the labels.

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