Anatomy Of The Spinal Column And Related Movements (Essay Sample)

Anatomy of the spinal column and related movements
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INTRODUCTION
The vertebral column is also known as the spinal column comprising of 33 vertebrae (12 thoracic, 5 lumbar, 7 cervical, 5 fused sacral and lastly 4 fused coccygeal vertebrae). The major functions of the vertebral column are to protect the spinal cord, it helps in supporting the weight of the trunk and head, and it articulates with ribs enhancing movement of the ribcage during respiration. It consists of primary curvatures situated in sacral and thoracic regions and secondary curvatures situated in the lumbar and cervical regions.
ANATOMY
Typical vertebras include the lumbar, thoracic, atlas, axis and cervical vertebra. They all consist of a body which supports their weight; it also has costal facets that articulate with adjacent ribs and lastly a vertebral arch which forms a foramen that protects the spinal cord and related structures. Vertebral arch consist of spinous, transverse, articular and accessory processes for muscular and articular attachment; it also has foramina such as the vertebral, intervertebral and transverse foramina. Vertebral foramina transmit the spinal cord; intervertebral foramina transmit the spinal nerves and transverse foramina which transmit the vertebral artery and veins.
Between the bodies of two vertebrae except for the atlas and axis there is a secondary cartilaginous joint; it acts as a shock absorber and allows movements between the vertebrae. Most of the intervertebral disks are all avascular excluding the peripheries which are circulated with blood vessels. Nucleus polposus located in intervertebral disk act by absorbing shock by equalizing pressure created; Annulus fibrosus joins the vertebral column together and holds the nucleus pulposus which allows fixed movements and absorbs shock.
Regional characteristics of the vertebrae include the following, first cervical vertebrae support the skull, it has no body and no spine; second cervical vertebra has an odontoid process that allows the atlas to rotate; third to sixth cervical vertebrae are typical which have short bifid spinous process; thoracic vertebrae that have costal facets which articulate with the head of a rib and transverse process that articulate with tubercle of the corresponding rib and lumbar vertebra characterized by a firm transverse process (Gregory, 2010).
The Vascular system of the vertebral column consists of the vertebral artery; vertebra veins are found in the suboccipital triangle by tributaries from the venous plexus around the foramen magnum and the suboccipi...