The body’s main axis
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Supports the head
Protects the spinal cord
Site of attachment for limbs and muscles
Consists of a column of 33 irregular bones
called vertebrae
Curved when viewed from the side
◦ Differences in structure and size by region
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5 anatomical regions
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Cervical (neck) – 7 vertebrae
Thoracic (chest) – 12
Lumbar (lower, “small” of the back) – 5
Sacral (sacrum/upper pelvic) – 5 fused
Coccogeal (tailbone) – 4 fused (vestigial tail)
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2 points of contact called articulations located
behind their main body
Articulations with ribs
Spinal cord passes through the hollow cavity
between articulations and the main body
Neighboring vertebrae are separated by the
intervertebral disc – flat, elastic and compressible
shock absorbers
◦ Flat gelatinous center w/tough layer of fibrocartilage
◦ Allows a bit of movement – bend forward, lean back,
twist
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Strong impact can compress an intervertebral
disc forcing the soft center to balloon
outward, press on spinal nerves causing
severe pain = herniated or slipped disc
Occurs most often in lumbar vertebrae
Can rupture releasing pulpy contents
Surgery can relieve pain/pressure against the
nerve – disc must be fused w/ adjacent
vertebrae and limits flexibility
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Severe injury to vertebral column can damage
or sever the cord causing partial or complete
paralysis of the body below that point
Don’t move someone that might have a spinal
injury because it could make it worse
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Stretch your leg in front of you with your heel
resting on the floor
Relax your muscles
Try to move your knee cap (patella)
It should be easy to shift it out of position
Now w/out changing position tighten your
thigh muscles
The kneecap should be hard to move with
thigh contracted
Contraction puts tension on the tendon and
ligament and holds patella in place
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Repetitive motions – carpel tunnel syndrome
Connective tissue sheath holds the carpel
bones of the wrist together
Carpel tunnel delivers blood vessels, nerves
and tendons to the carpel bones
Overuse causes swelling and inflammation of
the tendons causing them to press against
the nerve supplying the hand  numbness of
wrist and hand
Mild cases = pain relievers, severe = surgery
to relieve pressure
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Imbalance of the activities of osteoclasts and
osteoblasts
Caused by inactivity & poor diet
Hunched posture
Post menopausal women at higher risk due to
decreased estrogen
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Stretched or torn ligaments
Accompanied by internal bleeding (bruising),
swelling and pain
Ankle most common
Take a long time to heal because ligaments
have few cells and poor blood supply
Stretches mend with time
Tears may require surgery to remove
damaged tissue and stabilize with a piece of
tendon or repositioning other ligaments
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Inflammation of bursae or tendons following
injury
Heal slowly due to low blood supply
Caused by blows to joint, tearing injuries,
bacterial infection
Treatment – cold first 24 hrs; heat after that,
resting, elevating injured area, pain relievers,
warming sock treatment
Tennis elbow, knees, shoulder, Achilles
tendon (pulls up back of heal)
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General term for joint inflammation
Most common – osteoarthritis – degenerative
wear and tear – 20 million Americans >45
Bony spurs form as cartilage wears away and
bones thicken
Increased friction causes painful
inflammation
OTC meds can help, surgical joint
replacement in severe cases; injections of
hyaluric acid (a component of hyaline
cartilage) can reduce knee pain temporarily
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Also causes joint inflammation but it is
caused by the body’s own immune system
(autoimmune disorder) which mistakenly
attacks the joint tissues