Anatomy of vetebrae

Normal curve of vertebral coloumn

viewed from the anterior or posterior, a normal adult vertebral column appears straight. But when
viewed from the side, it shows four slight bends called normal curves
cervical and lumbar curves are convex (bulging out)
the thoracic and sacral curves are concave (cupping in)

The curves of the vertebral column increase its strength, help maintain balance
in the upright position, absorb shocks during walking, and help protect the
vertebrae from fracture.
The fetus has a single anteriorly concave curve

VETEBRAE COLOUMN

At about 71 cm (28 in.) in an average adult male and about 61 cm (24 in.) in an
average adult female

Function of vertebral coloumn

Protects the spinal cord and spinal nerves.
Supports the weight of the body superior to the level of the pelvis.
Provides a partly rigid and flexible axis for the body and an extended base on which the head is
placed and pivots.
Plays an important role in posture and locomotion (the movement from one place to another).
The lumbosacral angle occurs at the junction of, and is formed by, the long axes of the lumbar
region of the vertebral column and the sacrum
The vertebral coloumn is composed of 33 vetebrae
7 cervical : in the neck region
12 thoracal : posterior to the thoracic cavity
5 lumbar : support the lower back
5 sacral : fused to form the sacrum
4 coccygeal : fused to form coccyx
Joints and pads of fibrocartilage called intervetebral discs
Each disc has an outer fibrous ring consisting of fibrocartilage called the annulus fibrosus and an
inner soft, pulpy, highly elastic substance called the nucleus pulposus
intervertebral disc are avascular, the annulus fibrosus and nucleus pulposus rely on blood vessels
from the bodies of vertebrae to obtain oxygen and nutrients and remove wastes.
The 25 cervical, thoracic, lumbar, and first sacral vertebrae also articulate at synovial
zygapophysial joints, which facilitate and control the vertebral column's flexibility.
Typical vertebrae consist of
Vertebral body
o the more massive, roughly cylindrical, anterior part of the bone that gives strength to
the vertebral column and supports body weight. The size of the vertebral bodies
increases as the column descends, most markedly from T4 inferiorly, as each bears
progressively greater body weight.
o consists of vascular, trabecular (spongy, cancellous) bone enclosed by a thin external
layer of compact bone

Vertebral arch :
o posterior to the vertebral body and consists of two (right and left) pedicles and laminae.
o Consist of :
Pair of cylindrical pedicles : short, stout cylindrical processes
Pair of flattened laminae : two broad, flat plates of bone, which unite in the
midline
o The vertebral arch and the posterior surface of the vertebral body form the walls of the
vertebral foramen.
o The succession of vertebral foramina in the articulated vertebral column forms the
vertebral canal (spinal canal), which contains the spinal cord and the roots of the
spinal nerves that emerge from it, along with the membranes (meninges), fat, and
vessels that surround and serve them.
o The pedicles are notched on their upper and lower borders, forming the superior and
inferior vertebral notches
o The superior and inferior vertebral notches of adjacent vertebrae and the IV discs
connecting them form the intervertebral foramina
Several processes
o the vertebral arch given 7 processes :

o
o
o

1 spinous : projects posteriorly (and usually inferiorly, typically overlapping the

vertebra below) from the vertebral arch at the junction of the laminae
2 transverse : project posterolaterally from the junctions of the pedicles and
laminae.
4 articular : two superior and two inferiormalso arise from the junctions of the
pedicles and laminae, each bearing an articular surface (facet).
Both the spinous and transverse processes serve as levers and receive attachments of
muscles and ligaments
The articular processes are vertically arranged and consist of two superior and two
inferior processes
Generally, the articular processes bear weight only temporarily, as when one rises from
the flexed position, and unilaterally when the cervical vertebrae are laterally flexed to
their limit. However, the inferior articular processes of the L5 vertebra bear weight even
in the erect posture.

REGIONAL CHARACTERISTICS OF VERTEBRAE

Cervical

Cervical vertebrae form the skeleton of the neck .

located between the cranium and the thoracic vertebrae.
The single-most distinctive feature of each cervical vertebra is the oval transverse foramen in the
transverse process (L. foramen transversarium). The vertebral arteries and their accompanying
veins pass through the transverse foramina, except those in C7, which transmit only small accessory
veins.
The transverse processes of cervical vertebrae end laterally in two projections: an anterior tubercle
and a posterior tubercle. provide attachment for a laterally placed group of cervical muscles
(levator scapulae and scalenes). Grooves on the transverse processes between tubercles (the floor of
the groove being formed by a costotransverse bar) accommodate the anterior rami of the cervical
spinal nerves
The carotid tubercles of vertebra C6 are so called carotid tubercles because the common carotid
arteries may be compressed here, in the groove between the tubercle and body, to control bleeding
from these vessels.
The elevated superolateral margin is the uncus of the body (uncinate process).
C7 is a prominent vertebra that is characterized by a long spinous process, is called the vertebra
prominens.

Vertebra C1, also called the atlas, is unique in that it has neither a body nor a spinous process.

The atlas is a ring of bone with anterior and posterior arches and large lateral masses. It lacks a body and a spinous
process.
The kidney-shaped, concave superior articular surfaces of the lateral masses receive two large
cranial protuberances called the occipital condyles at the sides of the foramen magnum.
Vertebra C2, also called the axis, is the strongest of the cervical vertebrae.
The distinguishing feature of the axis is the blunt tooth-like dens (odontoid process), which projects
superiorly from its body.
The dens is held in position against the posterior aspect of the anterior arch of the atlas by the

transverse ligament of the atlas

Thoracic

lie in the upper back and provide attachment for the ribs
Thus the primary characteristic features of thoracic vertebrae are the costal facets for articulation
with ribs.
T1 and T2 are long, laterally flattened, and directed inferiorly. In contrast, the spinous
processes on T11 and T12 are shorter, broader, and directed more posteriorly.
Longer and larger transverse processes than cervical
Movements of the thoracic region are limited by the attachment of the ribs to the sternum.
T1 has a superior facet and an inferior demifacet. T2T8 have superior and inferior

demifacets. T9 has a superior demifacet, and T10T12 have a facet.

Lumbar
located in the lower back between the thorax and sacrum.
Because the weight they support increases toward the inferior end of the vertebral column, lumbar
vertebrae have massive bodies, accounting for much of the thickness of the lower trunk in the median
plane. On the posterior surface of the base of each transverse process is a small accessory process,
which provides an attachment for the medial intertransverse lumborum muscle.
On the posterior surface of the superior articular processes are mammillary processes, which give
attachment to the multifidus and medial intertransverse muscles (back muscles).
Vertebra L5 is the largest of all movable vertebrae; it carries the weight of the whole upper body. L5 is
distinguished by its massive body and transverse processes. Its body is markedly deeper anteriorly;
therefore, it is largely responsible for the lumbosacral angle between the long axis of the lumbar
region of the vertebral column and that of the sacrum (Fig. 4.1D). Body weight is transmitted from L5
vertebra to the base of the sacrum, formed by the superior surface of S1 vertebra (Fig. 4.5A).

Sacrum
It is located between the hip bones and forms the roof and posterosuperior wall of the posterior pelvic
cavity.
The sacrum (L. sacred or holy bone) provides strength and stability to the pelvis and transmits the
weight of the body to the pelvic girdle, the bony ring formed by the hip bones and sacrum, to which
the lower limbs are attached.
The sacral canal is the continuation of the vertebral canal in the sacrum. It contains the bundle of
spinal nerve roots arising inferior to the L1 vertebra, known as the cauda equina (L. horse tail),
that descend past the termination of the spinal cord.
On the pelvic and posterior surfaces of the sacrum between its vertebral components are typically four
pairs of sacral foramina for the exit of the posterior and anterior rami of the spinal nerves.

The anterior (pelvic) sacral foramina are larger than the posterior (dorsal) ones.
The base of the sacrum is formed by the superior surface of the S1 vertebra. Its superior articular
processes articulate with the inferior articular processes of the L5 vertebra.

The anterior projecting edge of the body of the S1 vertebra is the sacral promontory (L. mountain
ridge), an important obstetrical landmark.
The apex of the sacrum, its tapering inferior end, has an oval facet for articulation with the coccyx.
The sacrum is tilted so that it articulates with the L5 vertebra at the lumbosacral angle, which varies
from 130 to 160. The sacrum is often wider in proportion to length in the female than in the male,
but the body of the S1 vertebra is usually larger in males.
The pelvic surface of the sacrum is smooth and concave. Four transverse lines on this surface of
sacra from adults indicate where fusion of the sacral vertebrae occurred. Fusion of the sacral
vertebrae starts after age 20
The dorsal surface of the sacrum is rough, convex, and marked by five prominent longitudinal
ridges.
central ridge, the median sacral crest, represents the fused rudimentary spinous processes of
the superior three or four sacral vertebra, S5 has no spinous process.
intermediate sacral crests represent the fused articular processes
lateral sacral crests are the tips of the transverse processes of the fused sacral vertebrae.
The clinically important features of the dorsal surface of the sacrum are the inverted U-shaped sacral
hiatus and the sacral cornua (L. horns).
The superior part of the lateral surface of the sacrum looks somewhat like an auricle because of its
shape, this area is called the auricular surface. It is the site of the synovial part of the sacroiliac joint
between the sacrum and ilium.

Coccyx
The coccyx, like the sacrum, is triangular in shape. It is formed by the fusion of usually four
coccygeal vertebrae, indicated in as Co1Co4.
coccygeal vertebrae fuse somewhat later than the sacral vertebrae, between the ages of 20 and 30.
The dorsal surface of the body of the coccyx contains two long coccygeal cornua that are connected
by ligaments to the sacral cornua.
The coccygeal cornua are the pedicles and superior articular processes of the first coccygeal vertebra.
On the lateral surfaces of the coccyx are a series of transverse processes (the first pair are the
largest)
The coccyx articulates superiorly with the apex of the sacrum. In females, the coccyx points inferiorly
to allow the passage of a baby during birth.