Spinal means relating to the spine, the column of bones that runs down the center of your back from your skull to your hips. Your spinal cord, a bundle of nerves protected inside those bones, carries messages between your brain and the rest of your body. When doctors talk about spinal injuries, they mean damage to this crucial part of your body.

The spine itself consists of small bones called vertebrae stacked on top of each other, separated by cushiony discs. This structure lets you bend, twist, and stand upright while protecting the delicate nerves inside. A spinal column gives your body its basic shape and supports your head, which weighs about as much as a bowling ball.

You might encounter this word when someone mentions spinal surgery to fix a back problem, or a spinal tap, a medical procedure where doctors carefully insert a needle between vertebrae to collect fluid for testing. Animals with spines, like humans, dogs, and fish, are called vertebrates. Animals without spines, like insects and jellyfish, are invertebrates.