A
spinal nerve is a mixed
nerve, which carries motor, sensory, and autonomic signals between the
spinal cord and the body. In the
human there are 31 pairs of spinal nerves, one on each side of the
vertebral column. These are grouped into the corresponding
cervical,
thoracic,
lumbar,
sacral and
coccygeal regions of the spine. There are eight pairs of
cervical nerves, twelve pairs of
thoracic nerves, five pairs of
lumbar nerves, five pairs of
sacral nerves, and one pair of
coccygeal nerves. The spinal nerves are part of the
peripheral nervous system.