Spinal Column And Cord Flashcards
What is the primary role of the spinal column
- weight bearing and locomotion
- protection of the spinal cord
What is the spinal cord composed of
7cervical vertebra 12 thoracic vertebra 5 lumbar vertebra 5 sacral vertebra (fused to become sacrum) 1 coccyx (2 or 3 bones fused)
What are the protruding points on an individual vertebrae called
- transverse process - goes out to the side
- articular process - goes upwards (superior) and downwards (inferior)
- spinous process - sticks out in front
What structure connects the facets of the vertebra to the body
-the pedicle
What structure connects the facets to the midline and spinous process
-the lamina
What is a distinguishing feature of a thoracic vertebra specifically for the points of articulation
-articulates with the ribs in two places
- the head of the rib to the vertebra body
- the tubercle of the rib at the anterior aspect of the transverse process
Give the distinguishing features of a cervical vertebra
- smaller because it carries less weight
- bifid spinous process (from C1 to C6)
- vertebral foramina (vertebral artery passes through this)
Which cervical vertebral does not have a bifid spinous process
-C7 (only has a single tip)
What is the first cervical vertebra called and what does it do
- atlas
- it supports the weight of the skull
What is the second cervical vertebra called and what does it do
- axis
- provides an axis which the neck can rotate
Where is the odontoid peg found
- C2 the axis
- a peg like structure projecting from the axis
- it represents the body the 1st cervical vertebra fused with the body of the 2nd cervical vertebra
What is the ligament that lies behind the odontoid peg called
-the transverse ligament
How many curvatures are exhibited in an adult spine and list them going from cervical to lumbar
3
- cervical bending forwards - lordosis
- thoracic bending backwards - kyphosis
- lumbar bending forwards - lordosis
What is a scoliosis
-sideways bend of the spine
What connects the vertebra of the spines to each other
- intervertebral discs (they connect the body of each vertebra)
- synovial joints (between the articular processes)
Ligaments
- anterior spinal ligament (runs dow the front of the vertebral bodies)
- posterior spinal ligament (runs down the back of the vertebral bodies)
- ligamentum flavum (connects the lamina of each vertebral body, has high amount of elastic tissue which shows up yellow)
- interspinous ligament (connect the spinous processes of the vertebral bodies)
- supraspinous ligament (connects the tips of each spinous process of the vertebral bodies)
What type of joint is the intervertebral disks and what is it composed of
- secondary cartilagenous joint
- so in order goes bone (vertebral body), hyaline cartilage, fibrocartilage (makes up majority of the joint), hyaline cartilage, bone (vertebral body)
Describe the two structures within the vertebral bodies
- liquid center (nucleus pulposus)
- fibrous rings (annulus fibrosis)
What are flavanoids
-early pigments which were yellow
Give the 5 ligaments associated with the vertebral bodies and what they do
- anterior spinal ligament (runs dow the front of the vertebral bodies)
- posterior spinal ligament (runs down the back of the vertebral bodies)
- ligamentum flavum (connects the lamina of each vertebral body, has high amount of elastic tissue which shows up yellow)
- interspinous ligament (connect the spinous processes of the vertebral bodies)
- supraspinous ligament (connects the tips of each spinous process of the vertebral bodies)
How can bending to lift a heavy weight compress a spinal nerve
- bending forward might cause a tear in the posterior spinal ligament and annulus fibrosus
- and cause the liquid nucleus pulpous to bulge through the annulous fibrosus into the intervertebral foramina and compress a spinal nerve
What is the difference between the exiting and tranversing spinal nerve root and how they can be compressed
- existing spinal nerve root is on the spinal level that the compression occurred (usually posterior rupture of the annulus fibrosus)
- tranversing spinal nerve root is on the spinal level below where the compression occurred (usually a rupture of more central annulus fibrosus)
Where would a spinal anaesthetic usually be given
-in the lumbar or sacral region
What is the conus medullaris
- where the spinal cord ends
- identified by it finishing in a tube of pia mater (this tube is the philum termnalis)
What is the continuation of the conus meduallaris all the way to the coccyx
-the philum terminalis (the tube of pia mater)
