The thoracic spine is the middle section of vertebrae in the spine, made up of 12 vertebrae in the chest area with the ribs attached. The thoracic area of the spine is one of three sections of the spinal column and sits between the cervical spine in the neck and the lumbar spine in the lower back.
Vertebrae in the thoracic spine are broader and stronger than those in the cervical and lumbar sections. While this strength allows the bones to withstand pressure to the mid-back, the thoracic spine is a common area of the spine for injuries to occur. The 12 vertebrae in the thoracic spine are numbered from the upper bones to the lowest (i.e. T1, T2, T3, etc.).
Resource: NIH
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