anatomy of cervical spine
Anatomy of the Cervical Spine. Home/Anatomy/Anatomy of the Cervical Spine. The neck or cervical spine is the top part of the spine between the head and shoulders. The cervical spine has seven vertebra of which the bottom five are designed similarly and the top 2 are very different. The Spine. • The functions of the spinal column. include: –Supporting the majority of body weight. –Supporting the head, trunk, and UEs. against the forces of gravity. –Protection of the spinal cord. –Shock absorption. Cervical Spine Anatomy. A Patient's Guide to Cervical Spine Anatomy. The cervical spine is made up of the first seven vertebrae in the spine. It starts just below the skull and ends just above the thoracic spine. The cervical spine has a lordotic curve (a backward C-shape) - just like the lumbar spine. The spine is made of 33 individual bony vertebrae. stacked one on top of the other. This spinal column. provides the main support for your body, allowing. you to stand upright, bend, and twist, while. protecting the spinal cord from injury. Strong bones. and muscles, flexible tendons and ligaments, and. –The vertebral bodies approximate on the side. toward which the spine in bending, and. separate on the opposite side. • Rotation. –Occurs in the transverse pain. –The body of the vertebra will rotate towards the. side in which the person is moving as the. spinous process moves toward the opposite. The neck (cervical) and low. back (lumbar) regions have a slight concave curve, and the thoracic and sacral regions have a gentle. convex curve (Fig. 1). The curves work like a coiled. spring to absorb shock, maintain balance, and allow. range of motion throughout the spinal column. Figure 1. (left) The spine has three natural curves that form. Vertebrae. Vertebrae are the 33 individual bones that interlock. with each other to form the spinal column. The. vertebrae are numbered and divided into regions: cervical, thoracic, lumbar, sacrum, and coccyx (Fig. The neck (cervical) and low back (lumbar) regions have a slight concave curve, and the thoracic and sacral regions have a gentle convex curve (Fig. 1). The curves work like a coiled spring to absorb shock, maintain balance, and allow range of motion throughout the spinal column. Vertebrae are the 33 individual bones that interlock with each other to form the spinal column. The vertebrae are numbered and divided into regions: cervical, thoracic, lumbar, sacrum, and coccyx (Fig. 2). Only the top 24 bones are moveable; the vertebrae of the sacrum and coccyx are fused. (Click to Enlarge Image) This is a MRI side (sagittal) view of the cervical spine. It demonstrates good disc spaces, a normal curve (lordosis), plenty of room for the spinal cord and good alignment of the facets. (Click to Enlarge Image) This illustration demonstrates the anatomy of the annulus.
It is the top part of the spine between the head and shoulders.