Because your spinal nerves exit your spine laterally, dermatomes associated with your torso and core are distributed horizontally. When viewed on a body map, they appear very much like stacked discs. The dermatome pattern in the limbs is slightly different.The30DermatomesExplainedandLocatedMedicallyreviewedbySeungguHan,M.D.—WrittenbyJillSeladi-Schulman,Ph.D.onJune13,2019SpineandsensationDermatomeslistDermatomeschartImportanceTakeawayAdermatomeisanareaofskinthat’ssuppliedbyasinglespinalnerve.Yourspinalnerveshelptorelaysensory,motor,andautonomicinformationbetweentherestofyourbodyandyourcentralnervoussystem(CNS).Whyaredermatomesimportant?Howmanyarethere?Andwherecantheybefound?Continuereadingasweanswerthesequestionsandmore.DermatomesincontextEachofyourdermatomesissuppliedbyasinglespinalnerve.Let’stakeacloserlookatbothofthesecomponentsofthebody.YourspinalnervesSpinalnervesarepartofyourperipheralnervoussystem(PNS).YourPNSworkstoconnecttherestofyourbodywithyourCNS,whichismadeupofyourbrainandspinalcord.Youhave31pairsofspinalnerves.Theyformfromnerverootsthatbranchfromyourspinalcord.Spinalnervesarenamedandgroupedbytheregionofthespinethatthey’reassociatedwith.Thefivegroupsofspinalnervesare:Cervicalnerves.Thereareeightpairsofthesecervicalnerves,numberedC1throughC8.Theyoriginatefromyourneck.Thoracicnerves.Youhave12pairsofthoracicnervesthatarenumberedT1throughT12.Theyoriginateinthepartofyourspinethatmakesupyourtorso.Lumbarnerves.Therearefivepairsoflumbarspinalnerves,designatedL1throughL5.Theycomefromthepartofyourspinethatmakesupyourlowerback.Sacralnerves.Likethelumbarspinalnerves,youalsohavefivepairsofsacralspinalnerves.They’reassociatedwithyoursacrum,whichisoneofthebonesfoundinyourpelvis.Coccygealnerves.Youonlyhaveasinglepairofcoccygealspinalnerves.Thispairofnervesoriginatesfromtheareaofyourcoccyx,ortailbone.YourdermatomesEachofyourdermatomesisassociatedwithasinglespinalnerve.Thesenervestransmitsensations,suchaspain,fromaspecificareaofyourskintoyourCNS.Yourbodyhas30dermatomes.Yo