Although vertebrae range in size; cervical the smallest, lumbar the largest, vertebral bodies are the weight bearing structures of the spinal column. Upper body weight is distributed through the spine to the sacrum and pelvis.
What has the largest vertebral body?
The lumbar vertebrae are the some of the largest and heaviest vertebrae in the spine, second in size only to the sacrum. A cylinder of bone known as the vertebral body makes up the majority of the lumbar vertebrae’s mass and bears most of the body’s weight.
Which vertebrae have the largest size vertebral bodies?
The lumbar vertebrae are located between the ribcage and the pelvis and are the largest of the vertebrae. The pedicles are strong, as are the laminae, and the spinous process is thick and broad. The vertebral foramen is large and triangular.
What is the largest group of vertebrae?
Lumbar Spine: In your low back, you have 5 vertebrae that are labeled L1 to L5 (the ‘L’ means lumbar). Some people have 6 lumbar vertebrae. These vertebrae are your largest and strongest vertebrae, responsible for carrying a lot of your body’s weight.
What is the name of the top vertebrae in your spine?
The Atlas: The Top Bone in Your Cervical Spine
The atlas is also known as C1, and while other bones in your spine are numbered in such a way (eg, the first bone is your lumbar spine is known as L1), this vertebra is much different in shape and function compared to the rest of your vertebrae.
What is the most inferior spinal nerve?
The most inferior of the spinal nerves, the coccygeal nerve leaves the spinal cord at the level of the conus medullaris via respective vertebrae through their intervertebral foramina, superior to the filum terminale.
Which vertebrae does not have a body?
The atlas (C1 vertebra) does not have a body or spinous process. It consists of an anterior and a posterior arch and elongated transverse processes.
What separates the vertebrae in life?
The bodies of the vertebrae are separated from each other by intervertebral discs. The body is mainly spongy bone and red marrow, but the margins of the upper and lower surfaces consist of a ring of compact bone, the vertebral end-plates.
What are the four curves of the spine?
There are four natural curves in the spinal column. The cervical, thoracic, lumbar, and sacral curvature.
What are the 5 areas of the spine?
The spine is composed of 33 bones, called vertebrae, divided into five sections: the cervical, thoracic, and lumbar spine sections, and the sacrum and coccyx bones.
How do you sit with a fractured vertebrae?
Push your body up off of the bed with your arms while keeping your back straight, so you come up to a sitting position on the side of your bed. At the same time, lower your legs over the side of the bed while keeping your back straight. Continue to lower your legs until your feet hit the floor, while remaining upright.
What is L7 in the spine?
The seventh lumbar vertebra (L7) or its caudal articular processes are considered the most frequent sites of fractures, with fracture occurring more commonly than dislocation (Flatt et al., 1974).
What part of your spine controls your legs?
The lumbosacral spinal cord and nerve supply legs, pelvis, and bowel and bladder. Sensations from the feet, legs, pelvis, and lower abdomen are transmitted through the lumbosacral nerves and spinal cord to higher segments and eventually the brain.
What does a healthy spine look like?
The normal spine has an “S”-like curve when looking at it from the side. This allows for an even distribution of weight. The “S” curve helps a healthy spine withstand all kinds of stress. The cervical spine curves slightly inward, the thoracic curves outward, and the lumbar curves inward.
What part of the spine controls the heart?
Sympathetic neurons in the upper thoracic part of the spinal cord innervate the cardiovascular system of the upper thorax.