Neuro 1 Flashcards
What are the 5 regions of the vertebral column?
- cervical
- thoracic
- Lumbar
- sacrum
- coccyx
What is the primary curvature?
a single primary curvature which has its anterior aspect concave in embryo
What happens to curvatures as we grow?
become upright the vertebral column has some secondary curvatures included, which have their concavity facing posteriorly
What are the 2 secondary curvatures?
Cervical and lumbar curvatures
Where do 2 primary curvatures exist?
in the thoracic and sacral regions of the vertical column
In what view should there be no curvatures in the spine?
anterior posterior view
In what view are there natural curvatures?
lateral view
When can these natural curvatures be exaggerated?
-due to degenerative conditions e.g. arthritis -can occur during pregnancy or increasing weight gain
Why does the natural curvature become exaggerated in pregnancy?
when the anterior aspect of the abdomen becomes more pronounced and therefore in order to remain upright additional curvatures are exaggerated
What are the typical features of vertebra?
- Vertebral body (anterior aspect)
- Vertebral foramen
- Spinous processes (project posteriorly)
- Pedicles
- Articular facets
What are pedicles connected by?
lamina
What do the the stacked vertebrae allow?
- flexibility in a number of different directions: 1. bending forward (flexion of vertebral column)
2. bending backwards (extension of cerebral column( and then lateral flexion bending to the sides or even rotation
What do intervertebral discs allow?
- some level of compression
- allow flexibility of the vertebral column
- acting as shock absorbers to transmit forces throughout the vertebral body to avoid fracturing of any vertebral components
What is characteristic of cervical vertebra?
- Transverse process
- Uncus of body (uncinate process)
- Rectangular bodies with concave superior and convex inferior surfaces
- Foramen trasnversarium !!
- Triangular vertebral foramen !!
- Bifid spinous process !!
- Oblique relatively horizontal articular facets directed primarily superiorly and inferiorly
- Perforated transverse processes with anterior and posterior tubercles
What is characteristic of thoracic vertebra?
- Long, strong transverse processes extend posterolaterally
- Columnar bodies, heart shaped in superior view
- Circular vertebral foramen, relatively small compared to size of body
- Nearly vertical articular facets directed primarily posteriorly and anteriorly
- Spinous process long and sloping: overlaps inferior vertebra
- Costal facets: 2 on each side of body and 1 on each transverse process
What is characteristic of lumbar vertebra?
- Massive columnar body, kidney shaped in superior view
- Vertebral foramen triangular, intermediate in size
- Nearly vertical articular facets directed primarily medially and laterally
- Short, broad and blunt spinous process
- Transverse processes longe and slender directed laterally
What does the different shape of the bones in different region of vertebral column mean?
- Can be recognised by things such as the presence that the shape of the vertebral canal in the middle and also the orientation of their facets
- so various regions the vertical column have different degrees of flexibility and different ranges of motions due to the orientation of these faces
What happens generally as you go top to bottom with the verteberal bodies?
- vertebral bodies get larger
- facets change from being more horizontally placed to being more vertically placed
- this has repercussions on the degree to which the various parts of the vertebral column move
What is C1 known as?
Atlas
What are the features of the atlas?
- NO vertebral body
- Lateral masses connected by anterior arch and posterior arch
- NO spinous process
- Each lateral mass contains a superior articular facet (for articulation with occipital condyles), and an inferior articular facet (for articulation with C2)
- anterior arch contains a facet for articulation with the dens of the axis (secured by the transverse ligament of the atlas – which attaches to the lateral masses)
- Posterior arch has a groove for the vertebral artery and C1 spinal nerve
What is C2 known as?
Axis
What are the features of the axis?
- Vertebral body which superior process (vertebral body pf C1) - odontoid process Dens)
- dens articulates with the anterior arch of the atlas, in doing so creating the medial atlanto-axial joint - this allows for rotation of the head independently of the torso
- axis also contains superior articular facets, which articulate with the inferior articular facets of the atlas to form the two lateral atlanto-axial joints
What is the cruciate ligament made up of?
- Superior longitudinal band
- Transverse ligament of atlas
- Inferior longitudinal band
What is the function of the cruciate ligament?
Stabilises atlanto-axial joint
What does the longitudinal band do?
Joins the body of the C2 to the anterior foramen magnum