Search results
Results from the WOW.Com Content Network
The number of vertebrae in a region can vary but overall the number remains the same. In a human spinal column, there are normally 33 vertebrae. [3] The upper 24 pre-sacral vertebrae are articulating and separated from each other by intervertebral discs, and the lower nine are fused in adults, five in the sacrum and four in the coccyx, or tailbone.
It is composed of 270 bones at the time of birth, [2] but later decreases to 206: 80 bones in the axial skeleton and 126 bones in the appendicular skeleton. 172 of 206 bones are part of a pair and the remaining 34 are unpaired. [3]
Functions of vertebrae include: Support of the vertebrae function in the skeletomuscular system by forming the vertebral column to support the body; Protection. Vertebrae contain a vertebral foramen for the passage of the spinal canal and its enclosed spinal cord and covering meninges. They also afford sturdy protection for the spinal cord.
The vertebral column, also known as the spinal column, spine or backbone, is the core part of the axial skeleton in vertebrate animals.The vertebral column is the defining and eponymous characteristic of the vertebrate endoskeleton, where the notochord (an elastic collagen-wrapped glycoprotein rod) found in all chordates has been replaced by a segmented series of mineralized irregular bones ...
The axial skeleton (80 bones) is formed by the vertebral column (32–34 bones; the number of the vertebrae differs from human to human as the lower 2 parts, sacral and coccygeal bone may vary in length), a part of the rib cage (12 pairs of ribs and the sternum), and the skull (22 bones and 7 associated bones).
In human anatomy, the five vertebrae are between the rib cage and the pelvis.They are the largest segments of the vertebral column and are characterized by the absence of the foramen transversarium within the transverse process (since it is only found in the cervical region) and by the absence of facets on the sides of the body (as found only in the thoracic region).
Get AOL Mail for FREE! Manage your email like never before with travel, photo & document views. Personalize your inbox with themes & tabs. You've Got Mail!
The diameter of the spinal cord ranges from 13 mm (1 ⁄ 2 in) in the cervical and lumbar regions to 6.4 mm (1 ⁄ 4 in) in the thoracic area. The spinal cord functions primarily in the transmission of nerve signals from the motor cortex to the body, and from the afferent fibers of the sensory neurons to the sensory cortex.