Search results
Results from the WOW.Com Content Network
In humans, cervical vertebrae are the smallest of the true vertebrae and can be readily distinguished from those of the thoracic or lumbar regions by the presence of a foramen (hole) in each transverse process, through which the vertebral artery, vertebral veins, and inferior cervical ganglion pass. The remainder of this article focuses upon ...
Each vertebra (pl.: vertebrae) is an irregular bone with a complex structure composed of bone and some hyaline cartilage, that make up the vertebral column or spine, of vertebrates. The proportions of the vertebrae differ according to their spinal segment and the particular species.
In minor cases, the anterior longitudinal ligament of the spine is damaged which is acutely painful for the patient. In more severe cases, fractures can occur to any of the cervical vertebrae as they are suddenly compressed by rapid deceleration. Again, since the vertebral foramen is large there is less chance of spinal cord involvement.
In anatomy, the axis (from Latin axis, "axle") is the second cervical vertebra (C2) of the spine, immediately inferior to the atlas, upon which the head rests. The spinal cord passes through the axis. The defining feature of the axis is its strong bony protrusion known as the dens, which rises from the superior aspect of the bone.
They are located in the cervical region of the vertebral column from C3 to C7. [3] Two lips project upward from the superior surface of the vertebral body below, and one projects downward from the inferior surface of vertebral body above. They allow for flexion and extension and limit lateral flexion in the cervical spine.
Atlas image: back_bone28 at the University of Michigan Health System - "Lumbar Vertebral Column, Posterolateral View" Anatomy figure: 02:01-09 at Human Anatomy Online, SUNY Downstate Medical Center - "Superior and lateral views of typical vertebrae." Photo of model at Waynesburg College skeleton2/inferiorarticularprocess
When the shoulder is fixed, levator scapulae rotates to the same side and flexes the cervical spine laterally. When both shoulders are fixed, a simultaneous co-contraction of both levator scapulae muscles in equal amounts would not produce lateral flexion or rotation, and may produce straight flexion or extension of the cervical spine.
In the cervical region, they consist of a few irregular fibers that are largely replaced by the intertransversarii. [3] In the thoracic region, they are rounded cords intimately connected with the deep muscles of the back. [4] In the lumbar, region they are thin and membranous. [3] The intertransverse ligaments often blend with the ...