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    Westchester Spine & Disc Pain Center
    Interactive

    Spine Overview

    Twenty-four moving bones, a fused sacrum, and a tailbone — stacked, cushioned by discs, and threaded with the nerves that run your whole body. Spin the model, click any level, and see what it does and what tends to go wrong there.

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    All levels

    Lumbar spine

    L5

    Bottom of the low back, sitting on the sacrum

    What it does

    The most-injured vertebra in the body. It bears the highest load and sits on a forward-tilted sacrum, so shear force is at its maximum here.

    Where it's usually felt

    Buttock down the back of the leg to the calf, foot, and big toe

    Common injuries here

    • L5–S1 disc herniation — the single most common disc injury
    • Classic sciatica down the back of the leg
    • Spondylolisthesis (a vertebra slipping forward)
    • Degenerative disc disease with lost disc height

    How we treat it

    Herniated & Bulging DiscsSpinal DecompressionSciatica

    Not sure if L5 is yours?

    Let Dr. Cossifos tell you. He'll test that level by hand, see how the nerve is behaving, and give you a straight answer — Free Consultation for new patients.

    Book Your Free Consultation

    This model is a general anatomical illustration for education. It is not a diagnosis and not a picture of your spine — for that, Dr. Cossifos examines you in person.

    The four regions

    How the Spine Is Organized

    Each region is built for a different job — and fails in a different way.

    Found the level that matches your pain?

    Bring it up at your visit. Dr. Cossifos will examine the level, check how the nerve is behaving, and tell you plainly whether non-surgical spinal decompression, adjustments, laser, or something else is the right call — or whether you need a referral instead.

    Book Your Free Consultation(914) 636-5533
    Or read how spinal decompression works

    Good to know

    About This Model

    No — it's a general anatomical model built for learning, not a scan of any patient. Everyone's spine is a little different in curve, disc height, and where nerves exit. To see what's actually happening in your spine, we start with an exam and, when it's warranted, imaging.

    Not necessarily. Nerve maps overlap, and pain frequently shows up somewhere other than its source — hip pain can come from L4, and what feels like a shoulder problem can start at C5. It's a useful clue to bring to your visit, not a diagnosis.

    Most commonly L4–L5 and L5–S1 in the low back, and C5–C6 and C6–C7 in the neck — those are the levels where discs herniate most often. The table is set up differently for lumbar versus cervical treatment.

    Because that's exactly what it is: a cushion made of a tough outer ring and a gel-like center, sitting between each pair of vertebrae. When that cushion loses height or bulges backward, it can press on the nerve running past it — which is the mechanism behind most sciatica and arm pain.

    The viewer needs WebGL, which some older phones and locked-down browsers turn off. Every level is still listed below the viewer, and clicking a level name shows the same information. You can also just call the office and we'll walk you through it.

    Stop guessing which level it is

    A hands-on exam beats a web page every time. Same-day appointments are often available.

    Book Your Free ConsultationCall (914) 636-5533