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Anatomy & Physiology · Chapter 7

Spinal Curvatures

From the side, a healthy spine makes a gentle S — four curves that balance your weight and absorb shock. When a curve becomes exaggerated or sideways, it has a name. Compare them.

Normal curves

side view
Spinal curvaturesnormal vs abnormal

Pick a spine

📷 Reference image
A real labeled figure to compare with the interactive above.
Spinal Curvatures reference figure
Spinal Curvatures — OpenStax, CC BY 3.0 (via Wikimedia Commons)