The body of the vertebrae and the vertebral arch together form the vertebral foramen (foramen vertebrale). The vertebral canal (canalis vertebralis) is formed from the entirety of the vertebral foramena, and they house the spinal cord. Each individual vertebral arch has a recess (incisura vertebralis) at the point where it is attached to the body of the vertebrae above and below, so that two vertebrae next to one another form one intervertebral foramen (foramen intervertebrale). This is where the spinal cord nerves (spinal nerves) exit through.

Each of the bodies of the vertebrae consists of an upper and lower compact layer (compacta). There is a spongy layer in-between made of haemotogenous bone marrow (spongiosa).

The form of the vertebrae in the individual sections of the vertebral column deviates from the basic form in accordance with the demands made of it. The cross-section of the individual vertebrae, beginning with the cervical vertebral column through the thoracic to the lumbar vertebral column, increases from top to bottom with increasing pressure.