Vertebral column runs from neck to waist through the backbone. It has 26 parts which are connected with each other like a chain. These parts are called vertebrae. If the vertebral column had only one bone, the neck and the Waist could not have separate movements as they have now. Our health is closely linked with the health f our vertebral column. Our health and youth depend on how flexible our Vertebral column is and how clean the 26 vertebrae are, so that they have no Obstruction in their free movements. Out of the total 26 vertebrae, 7 are in the neck, 12 in the back and 5 in the waist. The remaining 2 are below the Waist near the anus.

Muscles

The body skeleton has some soft organs which are connected with the bones by fibrous tissues. They also help in the proper functioning of the body like several other glands. To provide a cover for the bones and to give protection to the glands, we have muscles which also make the body shapelier. These muscles are covered by fat and the fat is subsequently covered by the skin which is Visible from outside.

The unique characteristic of the muscles is that they can contract and expand, and again come back to their original positions. These movements of the muscles are called contraction and expansion.

Movements

There are two types of movement in our body. First, there are movements that can be controlled by us at will such as walking, sleeping, raising hand, chewing food, etc. These are called ‘voluntary movements’. The second type of our body movements are those which are not under our control. We cannot stop them at will, and similarly cannot put them into action when they are at rest. Our heart keeps on beating without any effort on our part and we cannot stop it. Our intestines also have movements, due to which our food keeps on sliding down. Similarly, the pupils of our eyes contract in excess light and expand in darkness. Such movements cannot be controlled at will and are therefore called ‘involuntary movements.’