Lumbar Spine Anatomy Flashcards
The human spine
The human spine is made of 24 vertebra. The vertebra stack on top of one another to create the spinal column. The spinal column gives the body its main upright support. From the side the spine forms 3 curves. The neck, called the cervical spine curves lightly inward. The mid-back or thoracic spine curves outward.
Lordosis
The inward curve of the lower back
What makes up the lower lumbar spine?
The lower 5 vertebra often referred to as l1 - l5
What does the L5 connect to?
The L5 connects to the Sacrum, the triangular bone at the base of the spine that fits between the two pelvic bones.
Sacroiliac Joints (SI Joints)
The joints that connect the Sacrum to the Pelvis
Vertebral Body
Each vertebra is formed by a round block of bone called the vertebral body
How do lumbar vertebral bodies compare to the vertebral bodies of other parts of the spine?
The lumbar vertebral bodies are taller and bulkier partly because because the lumbar spine has to sustain pressure from the body weight and from daily actions like lifting and carrying and twisting
What connects to the back of the vertebral body?
A bony ring. When the vertebra are stacked they create a hollow tube called the spinal canal. This boney tube surrounds the spinal cord as it passes through the spine.
What do the spinal column protect?
Just as the skull protects the brain, the bones of the spinal column protect the spinal cord.
How far does the spinal cord extend?
From the brain to the L2 vertebra
What happens to the spinal cord below the L2 vertebra?
The spinal cord splits into a bundle of nerves that goes to the lower limbs and pelvic organs
Cauda Equina
The latin term for the bundle of nerves below the L2 vertebra meaning horse’s tail
What does the spinal cord do as it travels from the brain to the base of the spine?
It sends out nerves on the side of each vertebra called nerve roots
What do the nerve roots do
They join with the rest of the nerves to create the body’s electrical system.
What makes up a spinal segment
Two vertebra, intervertebral disc between, two nerve roots that leave the spinal cord at that level and two facet joints that link each level of the spinal column