![]() The discs act as shock absorbers to the loads placed on the spine and allow movement of the spine. Combined, they make up one fourth the height of the spinal column. Intervertebral discs are located between each vertebra from C2-C3 to L5-S1. The spinous process is the bony projection that can be felt through the back of someone’s skin. The transverse processes extend out on either side of the laminae. The articular processes join one vertebra to another posteriorly. Ligaments and tendons attach to the processes. The articular, transverse, and spinous processes project off the laminae. This thickening compresses the spinal cord and/or nerves causing pain or numbness. Over time, the laminae may thicken, a process called stenosis. ![]() Laminae are two flattened plates of bone that form the walls of the posterior arch. If the spine becomes unstable, the pedicles may compress the nerve root, causing pain or numbness. Nerve roots branch off the spinal cord and exit to the body between the pedicles of two vertebrae. The pedicles are two short cylinders of bone that extend from the vertebral body. The posterior arch consists of the pedicles, laminae, and processes. Together, the vertebral bodies and discs bear about 80 percent of the load to the spine. Discs connect one vertebral body to another to allow motion of the spine and cushion it against heavy loads. The anterior arch is called the vertebral body. The spinal cord passes through the foramen of each vertebra. Only the first and second cervical vertebrae are structurally different in order to support the skull.Įach vertebra has an anterior arch and a posterior arch, which form a hole, called a foramen. These curves help the spine to support the load of the head and upper body and maintain balance in the upright position.Īlthough the vertebrae have slightly different appearances as they range from the cervical spine to the lumbar spine, they all have the same basic structures, and the structures have the same names.
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