General Spine Flashcards
The structural design of the spine performs a variety of functions.
What are the functions of the spine in support, mobility, and protection?
Support–supports the head and internal organs, (There are fascial connections that support organs from the spine.)
Mobility–Trunk movement.–really helps position arms and lower extremities.
Protection–Protects spinal cord.
The vertebral column consists of how many bones/vertebrae? How many are pre-sacral?
How many intervertebral discs?
How many regions and what are they?
33 bones/vertebrae
24 are pre-sacral.
23 intervertebral discs (20-30% of the height of the spinal column)
5 regions–cervical, thoracic, lumbar, sacral, coccygeal.
What are the primary spinal curvatures?
What are the secondary spinal curvatures?
When do the secondary curves appead?
Primary-Curves that everyone is born with. Thoracic, sacral, and coccygeal. (Think fetal position)
Secondary–Cervical lordosis, Lumbar lordosis.
Cervical occurs when babies begin to work on lifting their heads and gaining control of their heads. Lumbar begins when their legs begin to lift and kick back during ‘tummy time’. Called extensor strength.
Where does the line of gravity fall on spinal curves?
What is the functional role of gravity in spinal curvatures?
What happens if there is a change in one curve or another?
The line of gravity falls on the concave side of the curves.
Gravity produces a torque that helps maintain shape of curvatures.
If you change one curve, you will effect the other curves. ie. When one slouches more in the thoracic spine, in the neck, one will lift their head up to keep the head erect, this exaggerates cervical curve.
What are the 6 major ligaments of the spine and where are they?
ALL-Anterior Longitudinal Ligament, Runs along the anterior aspect of vertebral bodies.
PLL- Posterior Longitudinal Ligament. Runs along the posterior aspect of vertebral bodies, or restated, the anterior aspect of the vertebral canal/column. It’s inside the spinal column.
Ligamentum Flavum–Yellowish. Has a lot of elstin in it. MORE elastic than most ligaments. If you load it, it acts like a rubberband. Runs from lamina above to lamina below. It’s a segmental ligament.
Interspinous Ligament–Spinous process above to spinous process below. Along the length of the body (not the tip) of the spinous process.
Intertransverse–Transverse spinous process to transverse spinous process.
Supraspinous–spinous process to spinous process along tips of spinous processes.
What ligament restricts extension?
What else helps to restrict extension?
ALL is the only ligament that restricts extension. The rest restrict flexion.
Inferior articulating processes impact lamina below and spinous processes also restrict hyperextension (the bad kind.)
What is a vertebral segment?
Any 2 vertebrae and their disc.
What are the 3 parts of a typical Intervertebral Junction?
- Spinous and Transverse Processes.
- Apophyseal Joint (Facet joint)
- Interbody Joint (Intervertebral disc)
Zygapophyseal or Apophyseal joints…What are they?
There are two facet joints at every level of the spine. They are oriented in different planes at each level of the spine.
Apophyseal joints are synovial.
What is the Apophyseal joint orientation of each type of vertebra what type of movement does each provide? 4
Upper cervical (C1 & C2)–Horizontal plane. Allows rotation.
Lower cervical–Half and Half frontal and transverse planes. Rotation and lateral flexion.
Thoracic Facets–Frontal plane. Side bending (not reality) Thoracics rotate.
Lumbar facets are in the sagittal plane. Flexion and extension.
Describe coupled motion in the spine.
Side bending and rotation are coupled together. When you have a side bend, you’re going to have a rotation and vice versa. Do not follow spinous process for rotation direction. Instead, follow the anterior vertebral body.
What are the 2 major parts of the intervertebral disc?
Nucleus pulposus
Annulus Fibrosis.
Describe the Nucleus pulposus
Housed between vertebral bodies. It is a gelatinous substance in the middle of annulus fibrosis. It is moldable and moveable like jello.
Describe the Annulus Fibrosis.
What are the layers called?
etc.
Fibrous rings called Lamellae arranged in layers. The fibers are opposite each other in oblique orientation. If vertebral body rotates in one direction, some layer’s fibers will tense and others will slack.
Describe the proportion of fibers compared to water throughout he intervertebral disc.
Nucleus is a lot of water and a few collagen fibers. As you go to the peripheral edge, the mix flips over. The outside is a lot of organized collagen fibers and not much water. Closer to the nucleus, the lamellae are less organized.
