Back Flashcards
The back runs from the ____ to the ____
Cervical spine to the sacrum
The superficial and deep back muscles are separated by ____
Thoracolumbar fascia
What is the main function of the superficial back muscles?
Upper extremity movement
What are the names of the deep back muscles from superficial to deep?
Spinotransversalis, erector spinae, transversospinalis, and segmental
What is the function of the deeper back muscles?
Spinal stability and mobility
What is the innervation of ALL of the deeper back muscles?
Dorsal Rami
What muscles are in the spinotransversalis group?
Splenius capitus
Splenius cervicis
What is the inferior attachment and superior attachment for the splenius capitus and splenius cervicis?
Inferior attachment:
They arise from the nuchal ligament and spinous processes of C7-T6
Superior attachment:
Splenius cervicis: Tubercles of the transverse processes of C1-C3 or C4
Splenius Capitis: Fibers run from spinous process to transverse process to the mastoid process of the temporal bone and the lateral 1/3 of the superior nuchal line of the occipital bone
What are the actions of the splenius capitus and splenius cervicis both alone and together?
Alone:
Laterally flexes the neck and rotates the head to the same side as the active muscles
Together:
Extend the head and neck
Where do the splenius capitus and splenius cervicis innervate ?
Dorsal Rami
What muscles are in the erector spinae group?
Iliocostalis, longissimus, and spinalis
What are the components (the regions) of the iliocostalis?
Cervicis, thoracis, and lumborum
Are the actions for each muscle in the erector spinae group the same?
Yes
What are the actions of the erector spinae group unilaterally and bilaterally
Unilaterally:
Laterally flex the vertebral column
Bilaterally:
Extend the head and vertebral column and as the back is flexed they help control movement by gradually lengthening the fibers
What is the origin and insertion of the iliocostalis?
The iliocostalis spans from the cervicis region to the lumborum region and as it enters the cervical spine it attaches to the transverse processes.
The superior attachment are the ribs.
What is the innervation of the iliocostalis ?
Dorsal rami
What are the components (the regions) of the longissimus?
Thoracis, cervicis, and capitus
What is the origin and insertion of the longissimus?
The longissimus spans the thoracis, cervicis, and capitus region and extends from transverse process to transverse process
What is the innervation of the longissimus ?
Dorsal rami
Out of all of the deep back muscles which is the largest and longest ?
Longissimus
What are the components (the regions) of the spinalis?
Thoracis, cervicis, and capitis
What is the origin and insertion of the spinalis?
The spinalis spans the thoracis, cervicis, and capitis regions and runs from spinous process to spinous process
What is the innervation of the spinalis ?
Dorsal rami
Out of the erector spinae group, which muscle is the thinnest ?
Spinalis
What muscles are included in the transversospinalis group?
Semispinalis, rotatores, and multifidi
What direction (medially to laterally, superior to inferior..) does the transversospinalis group run and from what process to what process ?
The transversospinalis group runs inferior to superior and from transverse process to spinous process
The transversospinalis group spans how many segments ?
They span a few segments and can go down to as little as one segment
Are the transversospinalis group oblique?
Yes
What is the action of the semispinalis?
Extend the head, thoracic, and cervical regions of the vertebral column and rotates them contralaterally
What is the origin/insertion for the semispinalis?
The semispinalis spans the thoracic, cervicis, and capitus regions, runs from inferior to superior, and from transverse process to spinous process.
What is the innervation of the semispinalis??
Dorsal rami
What region is the semispinalis most prominent?
Cervical region
How many segments do the multifidus span?
2-4 segments
What region is the multifidus most prominent?
Lumbar region
What is the origin and insertion of the multifidus?
The multifidus extends from the sacrum to the middle of the cervical region and runs from transverse process to spinous process.
What is the action of the multifidus?
Unilateral contraction rotates to the contralateral side and helps stabilize the vertebrae
What is the innervation of the multifidus?
Dorsal rami
How many segments do the rotatores span?
1-2 segments
What is the origin/insertion of the rotatores?
The rotatores extend from the sacrum to the middle of the cervical region and run from transverse process to spinous process
What is the action of the rotatores?
May function as an organ of proprioception, possibly stabilize the vertebrae, assist extension and rotatory movements of the vertebral column
What is the innervation of the rotatores?
Dorsal rami
What muscles are included in the segmental group?
Interspinalis and intertransversarii
What is the origin/insertion of the interspinalis?
The interspinalis runs vertically in-between the spinous processes of the cervical and lumbar vertebrae
What is the action of the interspinalis?
Aid in extension and rotation of the vertebral column
What is the innervation of the interspinalis?
Dorsal rami
What is the origin/insertion of the intertransversarii?
The intertransversarii runs adjacently in between the transverse processes of the cervical and lumbar vertebrae.
What is the action of the intertransversarii (do not forget the bilateral component)?
Aids in lateral flexion of the vertebral column
Bilaterally: Stabilizes the vertebral column
What is the innervation of the intertransversarii?
Dorsal rami
What are the names of the suboccipital muscles?
Rectus capitis posterior major and minor / Obliquus capitis superior and inferior
Where do all of the suboccipital muscles innervate?
Posterior ramus of C1, the suboccipital nerve
What are the actions of the suboccipital group of muscles?
Extend the head on C1, rotate the head and rotate the C1 on C2 vertebrae.
What is the origin/insertion of the rectus capitis posterior major?
It arises from the spinous process of the C2 vertebra and inserts into the lateral part of the inferior nuchal line of the occipital bone.
What is the origin/insertion of the rectus capitis posterior minor?
It arises from the posterior tubercle on the posterior arch of the C1 vertebra and inserts into the medial third of the inferior nuchal line.
What is the origin/insertion of the obliquus capitis superior?
It arises from the transverse process of C1 and inserts into the occipital bone between the superior and inferior nuchal line.
What is the origin/insertion of the obliquus capitis inferior?
It arises from the spinous process of C2 and inserts into the transverse process of C1.
In the different regions of the vertebral column (cervical, thoracic, lumbar, sacral, and coccygeal) how many vertebrae are in each region?
Cervical - 7 Thoracic - 12 Lumbar - 5 Sacral - 5 fused Coccygeal - 4 fused
Which regions of the vertebral column are primary curvatures and in which cavity are they located?
Thoracic and sacral - anterior cavity
Which regions of the vertebral column are secondary curvatures and in which cavity are they located?
Cervical and lumbar - posterior cavity
When are primary curvatures developed?
Straight from the womb at birth
When are secondary curvatures developed?
Secondary curvatures occur between 0 and 1 and develop gradually after birth as the child learns to sit upright, stand, and walk.
What are the upper and lower regions of the cervical vertebrae?
Upper - C1 & C2
Lower - C3-C7
In which vertebral bodies can you find the uncinate process and where do they lie?
C3-C6 of the vertebra above
Example - superior portion of C4 rests on the inferior portion of C3
Why isn’t the joint of Lushka considered a real joint?
It lacks synovial lining
What is a massive indicator that you are looking at a cervical vertebrae?
The spinous process is bifid (‘Bifid’ means that the spinous process is divided into two ‘clefts’.)
What is the only region of the spine that has a transverse process with a transverse foramen?
Cervical region of the spine
What is the name of C1?
Atlas
Is it hard to side bend on occiput C1?
Yes
What allows for a lot of axial rotation on C1?
Flat facets
Describe C1
C1 has no spinous process or body. It has two lateral masses separated by anterior and posterior arches. It has a transverse foramen and the transverse process is really long.
What is the name of C2?
Axis
Which vertebrae is the strongest cervical vertebrae?
C2
What is the main distinguishing feature of C2?
It has an Odontoid process (Dens) that projects superiorly from its body
The axis (C2) articulates anteriorly with what?
The anterior arch of the atlas
The C1 and C2 articulations are (flat/round)
Flat
In the C1-C2, and C2-C3 facet orientation, the facet joints going down are ____ degrees and have _____ types of motion
45 and similar
What makes a cervical vertebra unique?
A bifid spinous process, a transverse foramen, joints of lushka, and the transverse processes being directly lateral and short are what makes the cervical vertebrae unique.
What creates the joints of lushka?
The uncinate process
At what angle does the cervical spine orient itself?
45 degrees (the angle is important to decide how movement occurs in that area of the spine)
Describe C1 and a difference between C1 and the rest of the cervical vertebra
C1 Consists of two lateral masses connected by anterior and posterior arches. It has the same transverse process with a transverse foramen in it like the rest of the lower cervical vertebrae (C3-C7), but the transverse process is really long.
Is it hard side bend on occiput C1?
Yes
What two cervical vertebra produce up to 50% of the axial rotation of the head?
C1/C2 due to the 45 degree orientation
What is the only vertebra that has a Dens (odontoid process)?
C2
The odontoid process is on the most (anterior/posterior) portion of C2
Anterior
The anterior articular surface of the dens articulates with the posterior surface of the anterior arch of C1.
True Or False?
True
Is the C1/C2 articulation flat or round?
Flat
Describe the thoracic vertebra
• Thoracic vertebra have bodies that are intermediate in size, articular facets on the transverse processes and bodies for the ribs, there is a superior and inferior costal facet on the posterior aspect of the vertebral body, and there is a costal facet on the transverse process
Where do the ribs articulate on the thoracic spine?
The costal facet on the transverse process is where ribs articulate.
The thoracic spine is long and oblique going inferiorly. The spinous process that you palpate in this region is actually 1-2 levels below the actual vertebral level.
True Or False?
True
Is there a lot of space between thoracic vertebra?
• Not a whole lot of space between the thoracic vertebra, they clutch down on each other and block motion.
What is the orientation of the facet joints in the thoracic region in terms of angles off of the horizontal and frontal plane?
60 degrees off of the horizontal
30 degrees off of the frontal
Which plane are the thoracic and cervical spine in?
Frontal
Do the vertebral bodies stand taller in the thoracic or cervical spine?
Thoracic
Does the thoracic spine have a transverse foramen?
No
In which direction do the transverse processes point in the thoracic spine?
Posterolateral
Which vertebra between the cervical, thoracic, and lumbar have articulations with the ribs?
Thoracic
Between the thoracic and lumbar vertebra, which vertebra are wider?
Lumbar
The articular processes in the lumbar vertebra are moving towards which plane?
Sagittal
Describe the size and direction of the transverse processes in the lumbar region?
Short and go directly lateral
Describe the spinous process in the lumbar region
They angle down a little bit, go mostly posterior, and are very tall
As we go from cervical to lumbar, the vertebral bodies get (smaller/larger)
Larger due to the lumbar spine needing to hold more weight
What plane orientation does L1-L3 have?
What plane orientation does L4-L5 have?
L1-L3 - Sagittal
L4-L5 - Frontal
The vertebral bodies get (bigger/smaller) from L1-L5
Bigger
What is the Intervertebral Joint made of?
The intervertebral joint is made up of the adjacent vertebra connected by the intervertebral disc (IV disc) and the associated ligaments.
What is the outer layer of the intervertebral disc called?
Annulus fibrosus
What is the annulus fibrosus made up of? And what do they allow for?
The annulus fibrosus is made up of the concentric rings, and these concentric rings have different orientation of collagen fibers which allow for tensile forces in multiple directions to be resisted as we move our spine.
The annulus fibrosus is fibrocartilaginous
T OR F
True
The nucleus pulposus is an amorphous gel that is surrounded by what?
Hyaline cartilage end plates and the annulus fibrosus
At birth the nucleus pulposus is made up of 85% _____ that decreases as we age and becomes _________
Water; fibrocartilaginous
What are the hyaline cartilage end plates attached to ?
The hyaline cartilage end plates are attached to the cancellous bone and to the cartilage
The nucleus pulposus resists what?
The nucleus pulposus resists compressive forces. Water resists compression.
Which spine allows for more movement, the cervical or lumbar spine?
Cervical
We need good amorphous gel in the nucleus pulposus in the lumbar region to be able to handle what?
Load produced from our body weight
What is another name for the Joints of Luschka?
Uncovertebral joints
What ligaments directly support the Intervertebral (IV) discs?
Anterior and posterior longitudinal ligaments
The anterior longitudinal ligament will resist what motion and in what plane?
Extension in the sagittal plane
Which longitudinal ligament is thinner? Anterior or posterior?
Posterior
The posterior longitudinal ligament will resist what motion?
Flexion
What segmental ligament connects lamina to lamina ?
Ligamentum flavum
Which ligament has extra elastin in it compared to other ligaments?
Ligamentum flavum (able to recoil during extension due to that elastin)
Which ligament runs from spinous process to spinous process the whole length of the spine ?
Interspinous ligament
Which ligament runs spinous process to spinous process along the TIPS of each spinous processes?
Supraspinous ligament
The ligamentum flavum resists what motion?
Flexion
Do the interspinous and supraspinous ligaments resist flexion or extension?
Interspinous and supraspinous resist flexion because they are posterior to the axis of motion
What motion does the intertransverse ligament resist?
Lateral flexion
The _______ membrane is a superior extension of the posterior longitudinal ligament
Tectorial
The ______ ligament has longitudinal fascicles and horizontal fascicles.
Cruciform
The transverse (horizontal ) component is the stronger of the two components in the cruciform ligament?
True
What is the job of the horizontal component of the cruciform ligament?
Its job is to maintain the position (hold it in place) of the dens against the anterior arch of the atlas.
The _____ ligament of the dens is deeper than the cruciform ligament and runs to the anterior rim of the foramen magnum.
Apical
The _______ ligament comes off the lateral portion of the dens on both sides, runs to the foramen magnum of the occipital bone and attaches to the lateral margins of the foramen magnum.
Alar
The tectorial membrane, cruciform ligament, apical, and alar ligaments play an important role in?
These ligaments play an important role in providing stability and limiting mobility of the upper cervical spine.
What is another name for facet joints?
Zygapophyseal Joints
The ____ joints are formed by the superior and inferior articular processes of adjacent vertebrae. They are ______ joints, meaning they have a joint capsule. The joint capsule is (tight/loose) to allow for motion. They have flat surfaces that slide on each other (translatory motion).
Zygapophyseal (facet) joints; synovial; loose
The facet joints have a (minimal/large) role in weight bearing
Minimal (exception is in the lumbar spine)
The facet joints are highly innervated by the ____?
Dorsal rami
Out of all of the regions in the spine, which allows for motion easily in all three planes?
Cervical vertebra due to the 45 degree orientation
Which region of the spine allows for the greatest amount of flexion?
Lumbar vertebra allows for greatest amount of flexion because the lumbar is sagittal and they slide on each other with no resistance.
The amount of motion in vertebra is determined by what?
Height of disc, Tightness of ligaments, and Other related bony structures such as the ribs and spinous processes.
Is there limited flexion/extension in the thoracic spine?
Yes
There is varying amounts of flexion / extension in the cervical spine, very little flexion / extension in the thoracic spine, and a gradual increase in flexion/extension from each lumbar vertebra to the next
True Or False
True
Each region of the spine permits a similar amount of (flexion/lateral flexion/rotation) with the greatest amount not even reaching 20 degrees.
Lateral flexion
The greatest amount of rotation occurs at ____ and how many degrees?
C1-C2 (47 Degrees)
There is an even amount of rotation from C3-T9
T or F
True
T11-L5 has (A lot/Minimal) amounts of rotation
Minimal
What is the action for the trapezius?
Superior (descending fibers):
Elevate the scapula
Middle fibers:
Retracts the scapula
Inferior (Ascending) fibers:
Depress the scapula
Superior & Inferior together:
Rotate the glenoid cavity superiorly
What is the medial attachment for the trapezius?
External occipital protuberance, medial 1/3 of the superior nuchal line, ligamentum nuchae, and the spinous process of C7-12
What is the lateral attachment for the trapezius?
Lateral 1/3 of the clavicle, acromion, and spine of scapula
Where does the trapezius innervate?
Spinal accessory nerve (Cranial Nerve 11) and spinal nerves (C3 & C4)
What is the action of the latissimus dorsi?
Extends, adducts, and medially rotates the shoulder joint
What is the medial attachment for the latissimus dorsi?
The spinous process of the inferior 6 thoracic vertebra, inferior 3 or four ribs, thoracolumbar fascia, and the iliac crest
What is the lateral attachment of the latissimus dorsi?
Floor of the intertubercular groove (sulcus) of the humerus
Where does the latissimus dorsi innervate?
Thoracodorsal nerve (C6, C7, & C8)
What is the action of the levator scapulae?
Elevate the scapula & rotate the glenoid cavity inferiorly
What is the medial attachment of the levator scapulae?
Posterior tubercles of the transverse processes of C1-C4
What is the lateral attachment of the levator scapulae?
The medial border of the scapula superior to the root spine
Where does the levator scapulae innervate?
Dorsal scapular (C5) and Spinal nerves (C3 & C4)
Are the actions for the rhomboid major and minor the same?
Yes
Are the innervations for the rhomboid major and minor the same?
Yes
What is the action of the rhomboid minor?
Retract the scapula, rotate the glenoid cavity inferiorly, fix the scapula to the thoracic wall
What is the medial attachment of the rhomboid minor?
Ligamentum nuchae and the spinous processes of C7 and T1
What is the lateral attachment of the rhomboid minor?
Upper portion of the medial boarder of the scapula across the spine of the scapula
Where does the rhomboid minor innervate?
Dorsal scapular nerve (C4 & C5)
What is the action of the rhomboid major?
Retract the scapula, rotate the glenoid cavity inferiorly, fix the scapula to the thoracic wall
What is the medial attachment of the rhomboid major?
Spinous processes of T2-T5 vertebrae
What is the lateral attachment of the rhomboid major ?
Medial border of the scapula between the spine of the scapula and inferior angle
Where does the rhomboid major innervate?
Dorsal scapular nerve (C4 & C5)
The spinal ___ contains the spinal cord
Canal
What does the spinal cord consist of?
Spinal cord consists of multiple segments and each individual segment innervates or supplies a specific portion of the body wall (the trunk), limb, or both.
How many spinal nerves are there in the cervical, thoracic, lumbar, sacral, and coccygeal regions?
Cervical - 8 Thoracic - 12 Lumbar - 5 Sacral - 5 Coccygeal - 1
What region/level does the spinal cord terminate?
L1/L2
Why does the spinal cord terminate at L1/L2?
The spinal cord initially lines up evenly at birth, but as the baby grows the spinal cord does not grow as much as the spinal canal.
Is the spinal cord longer than the vertebral canal?
No
Below L1/L2 level, the bundle of nervous tissue is called what?
The cauda equina
Do the C1-C7 spinal nerves go out horizontally at the level of their corresponding vertebrae?
Yes
As you go further down the spinal cord, does where the spinal nerves exit correspond with their vertebral level?
No, due to the discrepancy of the length of the spinal cord and length of the vertebral canal, you will see an inferior projection of those spinal nerves so that they can exit the vertebral canal at their designated levels.
If someone fractures their T9 vertebra and points into the vertebral canal, would it hit their spinal cord?
Yes, because the cord is there.
If we have a fracture at L4, would it hit the cord?
It would not hit the cord, but it would hit the spinal nerves (spinal cords end at L1/L2).
Which vertebra is the last thoracic vertebra that will affect a thoracic nerve?
T9
If you fracture T10/11, what part of the spine are you affecting?
The lumbar spine and below
Name the three parts of the meninges from outer layer to inner layer
The most outer layer is the dura mater, the middle layer is the arachnoid mater, and the inner layer is the pia mater
What do the meninges do?
The meninges cover the entire spinal cord and provide protection to the spinal cord
The cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) sits deep to the ____ mater and the CSF pushes the _____ mater against the _____ mater.
Arachnoid, arachnoid, dura
There shouldn’t be any space between the dura mater and the arachnoid mater, if there is, what could that indicate?
If there is, there is probably bleeding somewhere in there.
The dura mater runs continuously from the ______ all the way down to _____ .
Foramen magnum; S2
What is the name for the distal continuation of the dura mater?
The filum terminal externum (coccygeal ligament)
The ___ mater is the outer coding of the spinal cord and what does it surround?
Pia; The pia mater surrounds the entire spinal cord and the dorsal and ventral rootlets/roots
The denticulate ligaments are (lateral/vertical) extensions of pia mater and they attach to the side wall of the dural sac.
lateral
What is the role of denticulate ligaments?
They prevent side to side movements of the spinal cord.
What they do is create an anchoring chain on each side to limit how much movement of the spinal cord is being allowed.
Denticulate ligaments run in between what?
Dorsal and ventral rootlets
The filum terminale internum runs from the tip of the spinal cord to where?
Filum terminale internum runs from the tip of the spinal cord to the most inferior aspect of the dural sac which is at S2.
The epidural space is in between the dura mater and what?
Vertebral canal
What two things will you find in the epidural space?
Fat and an internal venous plexus
Is the venous plexus found in the epidural space a vowel-less plexus? Does it connect the body cavities and cranial cavity?
Yes; yes
Is the venous plexus thought to be a pathway for which metastatic cells can spring?
Yes
How far does the subarachnoid extend?
It only extends down to S2
How far does the CSF extend?
Only goes down to S2
If you want to inject something in the body in the spine, you have to inject it below which vertebral body?
L2 because you do not want to hit the spinal cord and the spinal cord terminates at L2
At every level of the spinal cord, we have _____ and _____ rootlets.
Ventral & dorsal
What do the ventral rootlets come together to form?
What do the dorsal rootlets come together to form?
Ventral roots
Dorsal roots
What do the ventral and dorsal roots come together to form?
A spinal nerve
Where the dorsal and ventral roots become a spinal nerve is when they enter the ______. As soon as they exit the vertebral canal, they immediately branch into _____ and ______
Intervertebral foramen; dorsal rami & ventral rami
The dorsal ramus is smaller than the ventral ramus
T OR F
True
Where does the dorsal ramus innervate?
The dorsal ramus innervates skin of the medial 2/3 of the back and the deep muscles of the back.
Where does the ventral ramus innervate?
The ventral ramus is going to innervate the lateral 1/3 of the back (T2-T11) and the extremities.
______ are muscles that are innervated by a single spinal nerve.
A _____ is a patch of skin innervated by a single spinal nerve.
Myotomes
Dermatome
What are the classifications of spinal nerve fiber types?
General vs Special
Somatic vs Visceral
Efferent vs Afferent
Where do the spinal nerves go in General?
Where do the spinal nerves go in Special?
General - all parts of the body
Special - head and neck
Where do the spinal nerves go in Somatic?
Where do the spinal nerves go in Visceral?
Somatic - skeletal muscle in the body walls and limbs
Visceral - organs in thorax, abdomen, pelvis
Where do the spinal nerves conduct in Efferent?
Where do the spinal nerves conduct in Afferent?
Efferent - conducts away from the spinal cord
Afferent - conducts towards the spinal cord
What are the 4 functional components in all spinal nerves?
– GVA, GSA
– GVE, GSE
Virtually all nerve branches off the spinal nerves are ____ nerves
Mixed
If we are talking about a sensory nerve, the functional components that make up the spinal nerve is ____ & ____
GVA & GSA
If we are talking about a motor nerve, the functional components that make up the spinal nerve is ____ & ____
GVE & GSE
If it is a spinal nerve that is going to a specific muscle, it will only be which functional component?
GSE
What are the superior and inferior boundaries for the intervertebral foramen ?
The superior and inferior pedicular notches (superior pedicular notch of the inferior vertebra and the inferior pedicular notch of the superior vertebra)
What are the anterior boundaries for the intervertebral foramen?
The anterior boundaries for the intervertebral foramen are the vertebral body and the intervertebral disc.
What are the posterior boundaries for the intervertebral foramen?
The posterior boundary for the intervertebral foramen are the articular processes, facet joints, and the ligamentum flavum.
What comes together to make facet joints?
The articular processes
Why are all of the boundaries important in the intervertebral foramen?
All of the boundaries in the intervertebral foramen are important because the spinal nerves go through the intervertebral foramen
The (cervical / thoracic / lumbar ) intervertebral foramen has a very tall inferior pedicular notch of the superior vertebra, but a shallower superior pedicular notch of the inferior vertebra.
Lumbar
The spinal nerve does not take up the whole space in the lumbar intervertebral foramen and exits (above/below) the intervertebral disc.
Above
What is a foramen?
A foramen is a hole in a bone
A hole created by two bones makes it a (static / dynamic) hole
Dynamic
The IV foramen in flexion get (bigger / smaller), the IV foramen in extension get (smaller / bigger).
Bigger; smaller
In the cervical spine (C1-C7), spinal nerves exit (above / below ) their associated vertebra.
Above
C8 spinal nerve exits (superior / inferior) to C7
Inferior
T1 and below all exit (above/below) their corresponding vertebra.
Below
The IV disc’s name for a specific vertebra is (superior/inferior) to it.
Inferior
If the C6 disc herniates it is going to impinge on what vertebra?
C7
The transverse processes in the ____ vertebrae point perpendicular to the spinous processes
Lumbar
The transverse processes in the _____ vertebrae are not directly perpendicular to the spinous processes and are angled a little bit posteriorly
Thoracic
The superior articular processes of the vertebrae below articulate with the inferior articular processes of the vertebrae above to form what?
Facet joints (zygapophyseal joint)
Why does the vertebral foramen get smaller going down from cervical to lumbar vertebrae?
The vertebral foramen gets smaller as it goes from cervical to lumbar because the spinal cord gets thinner from cervical to lumbar
The ____ is the arch flanking the spinous process
Lamina
The _____ is the region coming directly off of the vertebral body and pretty much going up until the level of the transverse process
Pedicle
What vertebra is the only cervical vertebra whose spinous process is not bifid.
C7
What passes through the transverse foramen?
The vertebral artery
What runs through the vertebral foramen?
The spinal cord
What protects the spinal cord?
The spinous processes
What are spaces in-between vertebrae that are maintained by round-spongy pads of cartilage ?
Intervertebral discs
What do intervertebral discs do ?
The intervertebral discs give the lower back flexibility and shock absorption as the body moves
The superior notch of the inferior vertebra and the inferior notch or the superior vertebra create what?
The intervertebral foramen
What emerges from intervertebral foramen ?
Spinal nerves
What is the mass of bone between superior and inferior articular facets called?
Articular pillar
What is the name of the joints between the atlas and the occipital bone
The atlantooccipital joints
The most anterior point on the sacrum is called the _____
Sacral promontory
The anterior rami of the spinal nerves S1-S4 emerge from what?
Anterior sacral foramina
The posterior rami of the spinal nerves S1-S4 emerge from what?
Posterior sacral foramina
The vertebral canal ends at the ______ , which is shaped like an upside down v.
Sacral hiatus
What curved surface articulates on each side with the upper part of the innominate bone, or hip bone, to form the pelvis?
Auricular surface
The joints between the sacrum and the hip bone are the _____
Sacroiliac joints
The sacroiliac joints permit almost no movement
T Or F
True
What is the broad ridge on each hip bone adjoining the sacrum ?
The iliac crest
The nuchal ligament runs from the ______ to ______
External occipital protuberance; C7
What is the inferior extension of the nuchal ligament?
Supraspinous ligament
The supraspinous ligament runs from where to where?
C7 to the sacrum
What is on the superior and inferior portion of the intervertebral disc and is what makes direct contact with the vertebral bodies and anchors the annulus fibrosus to the vertebral body?
The hyaline cartilage end plates
The annulus fibrosus does not make direct contact with the vertebral bodies
T or F
True
In what two vertebrae does most of the flexion/extension occur in the body?
L5-S1
There is limited flexion/extension in the thoracic region
T or F
True
There is very limited rotation in the lumbar region
T or F
True
What is the name of the end of the spinal cord around L1-L2?
Conus medullaris
What are the thickened parts of the pia mater that project toothlike indentations that attaches to the dura mater between the roots of the spinal nerves.
Denticulate ligaments
Sensory nerves carry signals (to/away) from the spinal cord
To
Motor nerves carry signals (to/away) from the spinal cord
Away
From cervical spine to the lumbar spine, do the intervertebral foramen get larger?
Yes
In disc herniations, the affected disc affects the nerve root (above/below) the disc.
Below
If the L4-L5 disc is herniated, the ____ nerve root will be affected
L5
Is the anterior longitudinal ligament stronger than the posterior longitudinal ligament?
Yes
From a posterior view, if you palpate along the spine of the scapula laterally to the end, what structure will you will be palpating?
The acromion process
The big hole in the skull that the spinal cord exits out of is called the ______ and the spinal cord starts right below this structure
Foramen magnum
