C1 - Aka Atlas

Cervix is the latin for neck, therefore the 7 bones in the neck are called the cervical spine. Now they are all fantastic and each are equally important, but the one at the top of the neck is the one that to me stands out as the most exciting (yes I'm a geek).

Each of the bones is numbered from the top down, making the vertebrae at the top C1.The thing that is so great about C1 is how different it is from the rest of the bones in the spine. C1 is different because it hasn't got a body, the best way to described the C1 vertebrae is 'donut shaped'.

Now C1 being such a different shape means it can do some amazing things, The C1 and C2 are specialised to allow a greater range of motion than normal vertebrae. They are responsible for the nodding and rotation movements of the head.

The neck is an amazing set of bones that gives us the ability to twist, nod, reverse the car safely. But sometimes they can become a problem and its not until they go wrong that you start to appreciate how important they are, if you are struggling with your neck a chiropractor may be able to help.