Spinal cord segments

The spinal cord is composed of segments and can be divided into five parts, similarly to the divisions of the spine. Overall, the spinal cord contains the following parts and segments:

• Cervical part containing eight cervical segments;
• Thoracic part with twelve thoracic segments;
• Lumbar part and five lumbar segments;
• Sacral part composed of five sacral segments;
• Coccygeal part with one coccygeal segment.

Note: One segment corresponds to one pair of spinal nerves arising from the spinal cord. The human body typically has 31 pairs of spinal nerves, and therefore the spinal cord is composed of 31 spinal segments.