It is suspended in the midneck region about an inch above the voicebox. It is suspended from the styloid process of the temporal bone by ligaments and muscles. The hyoid bone serves as an attachment site for the tongue and several neck and throat muscles involved in swallowing and speech. In an adult male, the vertebral column measures about 28 inches in length. In an average adult female it measures about 24 inches in length.
Some people think of the vertebral column as a rigid supporting rod.
But, the vertebral column is flexible and can rotate and bend anteriorly, posteriorly, and laterally. The vertebral column serves as the axial support of the body trunk. The vertebral column extends from the skull, which it supports, to its anchoring point in the pelvis, where it transmits the weight of the trunk to the lower limbs. Running through its central vertebral canal is the delicate spinal cord, which the vertebral column surrounds and protects. The vertebral column also provides attachment points for the ribs and muscles of the back.