Joints of Vertebral Column Flashcards
What are the different joints of the vertebral column?
-Facet (zygapophyseal) joints
-Intervertebral disc joints
-Uncovertebral joints (joints of Luschka)
-Atlanto-axial joints
-Atlanto-occipital joints
What are facet joints? What purpose do they serve?
Joints formed by the superior/inferior facets of articular processes
-allow or prohibit movement
*2 at every vertebral column
What does orientation of the facet joints depend on? What is the purpose of differing orientation?
Depends on the region (varies in each region)
-different orientations allow for enhanced or limited movement depending on motion
Facet joints in what region allow for some weight bearing function?
Cervical and lumbar
Most weight bearing happens at intervertebral disks
What are the clinical applications of facet joints?
They are a classic source of back/neck pain due to being prone to degeneration of the lower cervical/lower lumbar spine (osteoarthritis)
-bone spurs can occur and create a stenosis limiting movement/causing pain during movement
*treated with surgery
What are intervertebral disc joints? What purpose do they serve?
Discs made of water, collagen fibers, and proteoglycans in between vertebrae that absorb shock and influence motion
Which regions do NOT have any disk between them?
-No disk between occiput (back of the skull) and C1
-No disk between C1 and C2
What is the annulus fibrosus of intervertebral disk joints? What purpose does it serve?
-concentric layers of collagen fibers which wrap around the disc (responsible for containing nucleus under pressure/weight bearing)
-anchor the disc to bone/end plate
-the outer layers will blend with vertebrae and the ligaments in the vertebral column
-sensory innervation: potential source of pain!!
What is the nucleus pulposus of intervertebral disk joints? What purpose does it serve?
The inner part of the disk (nucleus), absorbs shock (needs water to do this)
-proteoglycans attract water to this part of the disc
What effect does aging have on the nucleus pulposus of intervertebral disk joints?
During aging the proteoglycans decrease which leads to less water attraction to the nucleus and decreases the disc height/shock absorption
(decreased disk height can cause difference in people’s height as they age)
How can intervertebral disc joints cause back pain?
-fissures (cracks in disc, if large enough may reach the sensory fibers and cause pain) *discogenic
-herniation (annulus cannot contain nucleus/fails and pushes the nucleus into the vertebral space/presses on spinal nerve roots) *radiculopathy: when disc pushes on nerve root and causes pain that spreads to body parts/regions innervated by those nerves
-degeneration (loss of disc height)
What are uncovertebral joints (joints of Luschka)?
ONLY IN CERVICAL SPINE C3-C7
-not a true synovial joint, considered “pseudo joint”
-formed by uncinate process (lateral lip) of cervical spine and the vertebrae above it
How can uncovertebral joints (joints of Luschka) cause pain?
-prone to degeneration (osteoarthritis)
-grow big bone spurs which may compress spinal nerve roots and cause radiculopathy (like herniated discs)
What is an atlanto-axial joint?
Articulation between C1 and C2
-“two” joints
Joint 1: formed by dens of C2 and anterior arch of C1
Joint 2: formed by the facet joints of inferior facets in C1 and superior facets in C2
**functionally responsible for rotation with around dens
What is an atlanto-occipital joint?
A synovial joint formed by C1 superior facets and occipital condyles
**the orientation of the C1 facets allow for flexion/extension of the head and neck
