Week 3 - spine - noncontractile Flashcards
Vertebral column & IVD - how many & function
33 vertebrae, 23 IVDs
Function:
- Protection
- Support weight
- Movement (except sacrum and coccyx)
- Muscle attachment
Which vertebrae doesn’t have a body?
C1 - Atlas
Vertebral arch
Pedicles & lamina
Zygopophyses
Articular process that articulate with the vertebrae above and below.
Pars interarticularis
Posterior to transverse process, between superior and inferior articular process
A common site for stress fractures
C1 & C2 joint
Atlantoaxial joint - synovial pivot
Uncinate processes
Articular surface bilaterally next to the body of vertebrae C3-7
They make up the unco-vertebral joint
CERVICAL VERTEBRAE
Body - Small rectangular, with uncinate process
Vertebral foramen - Large triangular
Transverse processes - Short
Spinous process - Bifid
Articular/facet joint - Oblique horizontal
Other - Foramen transversarium (C1-C6)
THORACIC VERTEBRAE
Body - Heart shaped
Vertebral foramen - Circular small
Transverse processes - Long with articulation facets for ribs
Spinous process - Long postero-inferior
Articular/facet joint - Articular process, near vertical (stop
signal with hand)
Other - Costal facets for rib
LUMBAR VERTEBRAE
Body - Large kidney shaped
Vertebral foramen - Triangular medium sized
Transverse processes - Long with accessory process
Spinous process - Short thick
Articular/facet joint - Near vertical (AFL goal umpire signal)
on oblique plane
Other - Accessory process, mamillary
process
Sacrum - how many vertebrae, foramina and what does the base and apex articulate with?
5 fused sacral vertebrae in adults
4 pairs of sacral foramina
Base: articulates with the L5 at the
lumbosacral angle
Apex: articulates with coccyx
Coccyx - how many vertabrae, and what muscles attach here?
4 fused coccygeal vertebrae in adults
Variations are common
May weight-bear during sitting
Attachment point for gluteus maximus
and coccygeal muscles
Atlanto-occipital joint type
Synovial condyloid joint - “yes” joint
Cranium & C1
Atlanto-axial joint type
Synovial pivot “no” joint
C1 & C2
Uncovertebral joint C3-C7
Joints at the sides of bodies connecting the above and below
Zygapophysial joints
The joint which articulates each vertebrae
The joint is made up of inferior articular process of superior vertebrae & superior articular surface of inferior vertebrae
What are the difference between zygapophysial joints when talking cervical, thoracic, lumbar?
Cervical - (oblique) 45 degrees; frontal plane; all movements are possible such as flexion, extension, lateral flexion, and rotation.
Thoracic - (stop) 60 degrees; frontal plane; lateral flexion and rotation (35 degrees); no flexion/extension.
Lumbar - (umpire) 90 degrees; sagittal plane; flexion and extension & rotation (10 degrees).
What is the outer and inner part of an inter-vertebral disc?
Outer - Annulus fibrosus - limit the amount of torsional rotation and bending motions
Inner - Nucleus pulposus - providing the spine with shock absorption during movement
Name the vertebral end plates, where they are found, what it is made of
Inferior and superior vertebral ‘end plate’, found between the vertebral body and the IVD, it is made of hyaline cartilage and connects to the IVD
Lordosis
The natural curve in the spine - lumbar
IVD primary function
Bind vertebrae together and absorb shock
Transverse ligament of atlas Att., Limits
Attachments:
Atlas (C1) medial to
atlanto-occipital joint
bilaterally.
Limits: The dens of the
Axis (C2) sliding posteriorly
into the spinal cord.
Nuchal ligament Att., Limits (nuchal means neck)
Attachments:
Superior: external occipital
protuberance
Inferior: Cervical spinous processes until C7
Limits: head falling forward
Other: thick fibroelastic tissue,
continuous with supraspinous
ligament
Supraspinous ligament Att., Limits
Attachments:
Superior: C7 tip of spinous process
Inferior: sacrum
Limits: Flexion
Other: makes palpating interspinous
gap harder
