clinical anatomy of the spine Flashcards
vertebral collum
contains 33 vertebrae
- 7 cervical
- 12 thoracic
- 5 lumbar
- 5 sacral
- 4 coccygeal
curves of the spine
- cervical lordosis
- thoracic kyphosis
- lumbar lordosis
- sacral kyphosis
what do all cervical vertebrae have
a transverse vertebral foramen which the vertebral artery runs through
C1
atlas does not have a vertebral body
C2
axis has an odontoid process (dens) which forms the atlanto-axial joint
C7
vertebrae prominens and is the first palpable cervical vertebrae
intervertebral discs
- secondary cartilaginous fibrocartilage joint
- inner nucleus pulposus
- outer annulus fibrosus
what happens to the intervertebral discs with ageing
they loos there water content which can lead to overloading of the facet joints causing osteoarthritis
most common place for osteoarthritis in the spine
L4/L5 and L5/S1
spinal cord
has 31 bilateral spinal nerves
- 8 cervical
- 12 thoracic
- 5 lumbar
- 5 sacral
- 1 coccygeal
how do the spinal nerves exit the spinal cord
through the intervertebral foramen
SPINAL CORD
- made up of grey matter in the middle and white outer matter
- contains dorsal and ventral horns
SAME DAVE
- sensory afferent motor efferent
- dorsal afferent ventral efferent
where does the spinal cord begin and end
begins at the foramen magnum and ends at the connus medullaris at L1/L2 where it continues as the caudal equina
cauda equina comprises of
5 lumbar nerves, 5 sacral nerves and 1 coccygeal nerve
exiting nerve roots
are outside the thecae sac and pass under pedicle of corresponding vertebrae
transversing nerve root
are within the thecae sac and become the exiting nerve root at the next inferior vertebrae
which of the nerve roots is most commonly compressed in disc prolapse
the transversing nerve root
radiculopathy definition
mechanical compression of a nerve root
muscles of the spine
- iliocostalis
- longissimus thoracis
- spinalis thoracis
ligaments of the spine
- anterior and posterior longitudinal ligaments
- ligamentum flavum
- interspinal ligament
- supraspinous ligament
chance fracture
flexion injury of the spine which fractures all 3 column of the vertebral body and can damage the posterior longitudinal ligaments
other name for chance fracture
seatbelt fracture
