Which of the following sequences correctly orders the spinal column sections from cervical to coccygeal?

• A. cervical, thoracic, coccygeal, lumbar, and sacral
• B. cervical, lumbar, thoracic, sacral, coccygeal
• C. cervical, thoracic, lumbar, sacral, and coccygeal
• D. cervical, sacral, thoracic, lumbar, coccygeal

Answer: (C)

The sequence is organized from top to bottom along the spine: cervical (neck), then thoracic (mid back with ribs), then lumbar (lower back), followed by the sacral region (fused bones forming the pelvis area), and finally the coccygeal region (the tailbone). This is why the correct order from cervical to coccygeal is cervical, thoracic, lumbar, sacral, and coccygeal. In adults, the sacral region is formed by five fused vertebrae and the coccygeal by a few fused vertebrae, so the regions remain in that downward order even though some bones are fused. The other options mix up the inferior placement of the sacral or coccygeal regions.