Flashcards: Bones of the vertebral column

The anterior longitudinal ligament is a ligament that runs down the anterior surface of the spine.

"Hangman's fracture" is the colloquial name given to a fracture of both pedicles or pars interarticularis of the axis vertebra (C2) (or epistropheus).

An intervertebral disc (or intervertebral fibrocartilage) lies between adjacent vertebrae in the vertebral column.

Scoliosis is a medical condition in which a person's spine has a sideways curve.

In vertebrates, cervical vertebrae (singular: vertebra) are the vertebrae of the neck, immediately below the skull.

The coccyx (/ˈkɒksɪks/ KOK-siks; plural: coccyges or coccyxes), commonly referred to as the tailbone, is the final segment of the vertebral column in humans and apes, and certain other mammals such as horses.

The lumbar vertebrae are, in human anatomy, the five vertebrae between the rib cage and the pelvis.

In vertebrates, thoracic vertebrae compose the middle segment of the vertebral column, between the cervical vertebrae and the lumbar vertebrae.

In the vertebrate spinal column, each vertebra is an irregular bone with a complex structure composed of bone and some hyaline cartilage, the proportions of which vary according to the segment of the backbone and the species of vertebrate.

Spondylolisthesis is the forward displacement of a vertebral bone in relation to the natural curve of the spine, most commonly occurring after a fracture, and most often the fifth lumbar vertebra.

Coccydynia is a medical term meaning pain in the coccyx or tailbone area, usually brought on by sitting too abruptly.

A Jefferson fracture is a bone fracture of the anterior and posterior arches of the C1 vertebra, though it may also appear as a three- or two-part fracture.

The spinal cord is a long, thin, tubular bundle of nervous tissue and support cells that extends from the medulla oblongata in the brainstem to the lumbar region of the vertebral column.

Spinal disc herniation, also known as a slipped disc, is a medical condition affecting the spine in which a tear in the outer, fibrous ring of an intervertebral disc allows the soft, central portion to bulge out beyond the damaged outer rings.

The spinal canal (or vertebral canal or spinal cavity) is the space in the vertebral column formed by the vertebrae through which the spinal cord passes.

In anatomy, the second cervical vertebra (C2) of the spine is named the axis (from Latin axis, "axle") or epistropheus.

The atlanto-occipital joint (articulation between the atlas and the occipital bone) consists of a pair of condyloid joints.

The facet joints, (or zygapophysial joints, zygapophyseal, apophyseal, or Z-joints) are a set of synovial, plane joints between the articular processes of two adjacent vertebrae.

In anatomy, the atlas (C1) is the most superior (first) cervical vertebra of the spine.

The atlantoaxial joint is a joint in the upper part of the neck between the first and second cervical vertebrae; the atlas and axis.

Schmorl's nodes or Schmorl's nodules are protrusions of the nucleus pulposus of the intervertebral disc through the vertebral body endplate and into the adjacent vertebra.

The cauda equina (Latin for "horse's tail") is a bundle of spinal nerves and spinal nerve roots, consisting of the second through fifth lumbar nerve pairs, the first through fifth sacral nerve pairs, and the coccygeal nerve, all of which arise from the lumbar enlargement and the conus medullaris of the spinal cord.

The supraspinous ligament, also known as the supraspinal ligament, is a ligament found along the vertebral column.

The interspinous ligaments (interspinal ligaments) are thin and membranous ligaments, that connect adjoining spinous processes of the vertebra in the spine.

The posterior longitudinal ligament is situated within the vertebral canal, and extends along the posterior surfaces of the bodies of the vertebræ, from the body of the axis, where it is continuous with the membrana tectoria, to the sacrum.

Degeneration of one or more intervertebral disc(s) of the spine, often called "degenerative disc disease" (DDD) or "degenerative disc disorder," is a pathologic process of certain pathology that may cause acute or chronic low back or neck pain.

Scheuermann's disease is considered to be a form of juvenile osteochondrosis of the spine.

The alar ligaments connect the sides of the dens (on the axis, the second cervical vertebra) to tubercles on the medial side of the occipital condyle.

The lumbosacral joint is a joint of the body, between the last lumbar vertebra and the first sacral segment of the vertebral column.

The cruciform ligament of atlas (cruciate may substitute for cruciform) is a cruciate ligament in the neck forming part of the atlanto-axial joint.

The tectorial membrane of atlanto-axial joint (occipitoaxial ligaments) is situated within the vertebral canal.

Lumbar provocative discography (also referred to as "discography" or discogram) is an invasive diagnostic procedure for evaluation for intervertebral disc pathology.

The ligament of apex dentis (or apical odontoid ligament) is a ligament that spans between the second cervical vertebra in the neck and the skull.

Back pain is pain felt in the back.

The ligamenta flava (singular, ligamentum flavum, Latin for yellow ligament) are ligaments of the spine.

The nuchal ligament is a ligament at the back of the neck that is continuous with the supraspinous ligament.

The anterior sacrococcygeal ligament or ventral sacrococcygeal ligament consists of a few irregular fibers, which descend from the anterior surface of the sacrum to the front of the coccyx, blending with the periosteum.

The transverse ligament of the atlas is a thick, strong band, which arches across the ring of the atlas, and retains the odontoid process in contact with the atlas.

The posterior sacrococcygeal ligament or dorsal sacrococcygeal ligament is a ligament which stretches from the sacrum to the coccyx and thus dorsally across the sacrococcygeal symphysis shared by these two bones.

The sacrococcygeal symphysis (sacrococcygeal articulation, articulation of the sacrum and coccyx) is an amphiarthrodial joint, formed between the oval surface at the apex of the sacrum, and the base of the coccyx.

Lumbar spinal stenosis (LSS) is a medical condition in which the spinal canal narrows and compresses the spinal cord and nerves at the level of the lumbar vertebra.

The anterior atlantoaxial ligament is a strong membrane, fixed, above, to the lower border of the anterior arch of the atlas; below, to the front of the body of the axis.

The posterior atlantoaxial ligament is a broad, thin membrane attached, above, to the lower border of the posterior arch of the atlas; below, to the upper edges of the laminæ of the axis.