Lecture 3: The Back Flashcards
How many vertebrae are there in an adult?
33
How are the vertebrae allocated in an adult?
7 cervical 12 thoracic 5 lumbar 5 sacral (fuse to become the sacrum) 4 coccygeal that fuse to become the coccyx
What movements do the vertebral column allow?
Forward flexion
Lateral flexion
Extension
Rotation
What do the lamina and pedicle form?
Vertebral arch
What passes through the vertebral foramen?
The spinal cord
What do the inferior and superior articular processes form?
A zygopophyseal or facet joint
What passes through the intervertebral foramen?
The spinal nerve
What are the joints of the vertebral column?
Joint of the vertebral bodies (symphyses)
Joint of the vertebral arches (zygopophoseal/facet)
Atlanto-occipital joint
Atlanto-axial joint
What type of joint is found between vertebral bodies?
Secondary cartilaginous joints known as symphyses
What are intervertebral discs made of?
An outer annulus fibrosis and an inner nucleus pulposus
What type of joint is found between superior and inferior articular facts?
Plane/gliding synovial joints
What is the atlanto-occipital joint and where is it found?
A condyloid synovial joint found between the atlas (C1) and occipital bone of the skull
What movements does the atlanto-occipital joint allow?
Flexion and extension of the head, as in nodding “yes”
What is the atlanto-axial joint and where is it found?
A pivot, synovial joint found between the atlas (C1) and the dens of the axis (C2)
What movements does the atlanto-axial joint allow?
Rotation of the head, as in shaking “no”
What are the 4 vertebral curvatures?
Cervical, thoracic, lumbar and sacral
What are the positions of the vertebral curvatures in a fetus?
They are all concave anteriorly
What are the vertebral curvatures known as in a fetus?
Primary curvatures or kyphotic curvatures
What changes when a baby can hold their head up?
The cervical curvature has changed to convex anteriorly
What changes when a toddler is starting to stand and walk?
The lumbar curvature has changed to convex anteriorly
What are the vertebral curvatures known as when they change?
Secondary curvatures or lordotic curvatures
What are the curvatures known as in an adult?
Cervical = secondary/lordotic Thoracic = primary/kyphotic Lumbar = secondary/lordotic Sacral = primary/kyphotic
What are the 3 pathologies of the curvatures of the vertebral column?
- kyphosis (hunchback)
- lordosis (swayback)
- scoliosis
What is kyphosis?
Hunchback, an exaggerated thoracic curvature
common with old age and osteoporosis
