Class 11 - The Vertebral Column Flashcards
Number of vertebrae + 4 functions
33 vertebrae with intervertebral discs between them.
Functions:
1. Supports skull and trunk movement
2. Protects spinal cord
3. Absorbs stresses of movements
4. Provides attachments
5 vertebrae groups and how many each contains
- 7 cervical (neck)
- 12 thoracic (chest)
- 5 lumbar (lower back)
- 5 sacral (base of spine)
- 4 Coccygeal vertebrae
2 types of curves and 4 bends present in those 3+ in age
- Kyphosis - Concave toward front
- Lordosis - Concave toward back
A. Cervical lordosis
B. Thoracic kyphosis
C. Lumbar lordosis
D. Pelvic kyphosis
2 primary and 2 secondary curvatures
Primary:
1. Thoracic kyphosis
2. Pelvic kyphosis
Secondary:
3. Cervical lordosis
4. Lumbar lordosis
3 types of abnormal spine curvatures
- Scoliosis
- Hyperkyphosis (hunchback)
- Hyperlordosis (pelvic tilt)
General features of vertebrae (8)
- Body (centrum)
- Vertebral arch
- Pedicle
- Lamina
- Vertebral foramen
- Vertebral canal (stacked foramina of multiple vertebrae)
- Spinous process
- Transverse processes
Superior articular process
Project upward from one vertebra to meet the inferior articular process of the one above
Facets
Flat articular surfaces of vertebrae
covered with hyaline cartilage
Intervertebral foramen
Openings formed when two vertebrae are joined; allow passage of spinal nerves that connect with spinal cord.
Each formed by inferior vertebral notch in pedicle of upper vertebra and superior vertebral notch in pedicle of lower one
Intervertebral disc + 2 parts
Cartilaginous pad located between bodies of adjacent vertebrae
- Nucleus pulposus - inner gelatinous mass
- Anulus fibrosus - outer ring of fibrocartilage
2 features of C1 (atlas)
- Has no body
- Contains lateral masses which have superior articular facets that articulates with occipital condyles of skull
2 features of C2 (axis)
Allows side to side motion of head.
- Contains dens
- Dens held in place by transverse ligament
Unique features of cervical vertebrae (C3-C7) (3)
- Relatively small; support head and allow its movements
- Forked spinous processes which allow for nuchal ligament attachment (C2-C6)
- Transverse foramen
Unique features of thoracic vertebrae (4)
- Spinous processes angled sharply downward
- Larger body than cervical, smaller than lumbar
- Costal facets - small, smooth and concave sites sites on body; attachment points for ribs
- T1 to T10 have transverse costal facet on each transverse process for rib articulation; lacking on T11 and T12
How ribs attach to thoracic vertebrae
Insert between 2 vertebrae.
Rib articulates with inferior costal facet of vertebra above and superior costal facet of vertebra below