The Vertebral Column

The vertebral column is made up of 33 vertebrae that unite together to form a singular structure. The Vertebral column lies in the middle of the body, from the base of the skull to just below the hip bones. The vertebral column is split into five separate sections. The Cervical, made up of 7 vertebrae, Thoracic, 12 vertebrae, Lumber, 5, Sacrum, 5 fused vertebrae and the coccyx, 4 more fused vertebrae. Each individual vertebral are separated by interverbral discs are joined together by ligaments and muscles.

In this assignment is will distinguish the difference between each section and what makes them different from each other. I will outline the distinguishing features of the different levels and what function they provide.

The Cervical Vertebrae

The cervical (Cx) spine is made up of 7 vertebrae bones. These bones are named cervical 1 (C1) through to Cervical 7 (C7). Typical cervical vertebra, C3-C6, have many things in common. All have vertebral bodies and posterior vertebral arches. The arch is formed by bony structures called pedicles and lamina. There are five joints between all adjoining cervical vertebrae except between C1-C2 (atypical vertebrae), anterior round disc separating vertebral bodies, and four synovial facet joints posterior, one pair that connects to the vertebra above (superior facets), and one pair that connects to the vertebra below (inferior facets). The 3 other vertebrae C1, C2 and C7 are atypical. (Moore, K & Dalley, A 2004, pp 482-485) See illustration 1 (appendix) for cervical spine and its main processes.

Cervical 1- The C1, also known as the Atlas, is the very first bone that sits under the occipital bone of the skull. The Atlas is different to the other vertebrae because it has no vertebral bod...

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