Spine or spinal may refer to:

Science

Biology

Vertebral column The vertebral column, also known as the backbone or spine, is part of the axial skeleton. The vertebral column is the defining characteristic of a vertebrate in which the notochord (a flexible rod of uniform composition) found in all chordate ...

, also known as the backbone *

Dendritic spine A dendritic spine (or spine) is a small membranous protrusion from a neuron's dendrite that typically receives input from a single axon at the synapse. Dendritic spines serve as a storage site for synaptic strength and help transmit electrical si ...

, a small membranous protrusion from a neuron's dendrite * Thorns, spines, and prickles, needle-like structures in plants *

Spine (zoology) In a zoological context, spines are hard, needle-like anatomical structures found in both vertebrate and invertebrate species. The spines of most spiny mammals are modified hairs, with a spongy center covered in a thick, hard layer of keratin and ...

, needle-like structures in animals * SPINE (molecular biology) (strep–protein interaction experiment), a method for the detection of protein interactions

Medicine

Spinal anaesthesia Spinal anaesthesia (or spinal anesthesia), also called spinal block, subarachnoid block, intradural block and intrathecal block, is a form of neuraxial regional anaesthesia involving the injection of a local anaesthetic or opioid into the suba ...

or "a spinal", an injection generally through a fine needle, usually long * The Spine, a set of national services within the UK

NHS Connecting for Health The NHS Connecting for Health (CFH) agency was part of the UK Department of Health and was formed on 1 April 2005, having replaced the former NHS Information Authority. It was part of the Department of Health Informatics Directorate, with the ro ...

Arts, entertainment and media

* ''

The Spine (album) ''The Spine'' is the tenth full-length studio album by They Might Be Giants. The album was released on July 5, 2004 in the UK, and July 13 in the US. The album was released alongside a companion EP, '' The Spine Surfs Alone''. It was preceded b ...

'', a 2004 ''They Might Be Giants'' album, including the songs "Spine" and "Spines" * ''Spine'' (1986 film), American film * ''The Spine'' (film), a 2009 animated short by Chris Landreth * ''The Spine'', a novel by Ladislav Bublík

Fictional entities

* Spinal (''Killer Instinct''), a fictional character from the video game ''Killer Instinct'' * Spine, a demon in ''

Blood Beast ''Blood Beast'' is the fifth book in Darren Shan's ''The Demonata'' series and was released 4 June 2007. It is narrated by Grubbs Grady, the narrator of ''Lord Loss'' and ''Slawter''. The plot is part of a two-part story, which continues in book ...

'' (2007) book of the Demonata saga * The Spine, the fictional mountain chain which follows the west coast in '' The Inheritance Cycle'' * The Spine, a singing automaton in the band

Steam Powered Giraffe Steam Powered Giraffe is an American musical project formed in San Diego in 2008, self-described as "a musical act that combines robot pantomime, puppetry, ballet, comedy, projections, and music". Created and led by twins David Michael Bennett an ...

, portrayed by David Michael Bennett

Periodicals

* ''Spine'' (journal), a bi-weekly peer-reviewed journal of spine surgery, published by Lippincott * '' The Spine Journal'', bi-monthly peer-reviewed journal, published by Elsevier

Other uses

Spine (bookbinding) Bookbinding is the process of physically assembling a book of codex format from an ordered stack of ''signatures'', sheets of paper folded together into sections that are bound, along one edge, with a thick needle and strong thread. Cheaper, b ...

, the closed edge of a book along which the pages are bound * Spine, a measure of stiffness of an arrow shaft in archery * SPINE (software), a web content management system