Cervical spine

The cervical spine is the neck section of the spine: seven vertebrae, numbered C1 to C7, running from the base of the skull to the top of the chest. It carries the weight of the head, protects the upper part of the spinal cord and gives the head its wide range of movement (Kaiser et al., 2023; Rahman & Das, 2023).

What is the cervical spine made of?

The cervical vertebrae are the smallest in the spine, and three of them are unusual (Waxenbaum et al., 2026):

• C1, the atlas, has no vertebral body and no spinous process. It is a ring of bone whose upper joints carry the skull.
• C2, the axis, has a peg of bone, the dens, that projects upwards and joins the front of the ring of C1.
• C7 has a long spinous process, the bump you can feel at the base of your neck, which is why it is called the vertebra prominens.

Discs sit between the vertebrae. Neck discs are tall compared with the vertebrae they separate, which adds to the neck’s range of movement, and small facet joints at the back guide and limit that movement. Cervical vertebrae also have a hole in each side projection, through which the vertebral arteries travel up towards the brain (Waxenbaum et al., 2026; Rahman & Das, 2023).

There are eight pairs of cervical spinal nerves, C1 to C8 (Cunha et al., 2023), which leave through openings between the vertebrae. Seen from the side, the cervical vertebrae form a gentle curve, the cervical lordosis. Below C7 the thoracic spine begins.

Many of the muscles desk workers feel attach here: the suboccipital muscles at the top, the levator scapulae on the side, the sternocleidomastoid at the front and the trapezius behind.

What does the cervical spine mean for neck pain?

Neck pain is very common. In 2020 it affected an estimated 203 million people worldwide. It was more common in women than men, and most common between the ages of 45 and 74 (GBD 2021 Neck Pain Collaborators, 2024). Most neck pain lasts only a few weeks (NHS). The usual desk-related causes are covered in neck pain from desk work and forward head posture.

When a nerve root in the neck is compressed, called cervical radiculopathy, pain can spread beyond the neck into the arm, chest, upper back or shoulder, sometimes with muscle weakness or reduced reflexes. Its natural course is generally favourable (Margetis et al., 2025).

For the practical side of a desk setup, the guides to monitor setup and working on a laptop are good places to start.

Common misunderstandings about the cervical spine

“My scan shows bulging discs, so that must be the cause”

Not necessarily. MRI scans of 1,211 people with no symptoms found disc bulging in 87.6% of them, and even most people in their twenties had it (Nakashima et al., 2015). A finding on a scan has to fit your symptoms before it explains them.

“My neck has lost its curve”

A flatter neck curve on an X-ray is common, and in people over 45 it was no more frequent in those with neck pain than in those without (Grob et al., 2007). The entry on cervical lordosis goes into the detail.

“Looking down at my phone is damaging my neck”

In 582 adults, the angle at which people bent their neck to text was not linked with neck pain (Correia et al., 2021). See text neck.

When should you see a doctor?

See a GP if neck pain or stiffness doesn’t go away after a few weeks, if painkillers haven’t worked, or if you have other symptoms such as pins and needles or a cold arm (NHS). Pain spreading into the arm with worsening weakness or numbness needs prompt medical assessment (Margetis et al., 2025). Call 999 if a headache comes with a stiff neck and a very high temperature, sensitivity to light, or a rash that doesn’t fade under a glass (NHS).

Bavelu’s neck sessions, designed and filmed by physiotherapists, are built around movement for this part of the spine.