L5 has the largest body and transverse processes of all vertebrae. The anterior aspect of the body has a greater height compared to the posterior. This creates the lumbosacral angle between the lumbar region of the vertebrae and the sacrum.
Which vertebrae have large vertebral bodies?
Lumbar vertebrae have very large vertebral bodies, which are kidney shaped. They lack the characteristic features of other vertebrae, with no transverse foramina, costal facets, or bifid spinous processes. However, like the cervical vertebrae, they have a triangular-shaped vertebral foramen.
What vertebrae have the largest and strongest bodies?
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.
Which vertebrae have the smallest bodies?
Cervical vertebrae have a small body, reflecting the fact that they carry the least amount of body weight. Cervical vertebrae usually have a bifid (Y-shaped) spinous process.
What is the difference between vertebrae and vertebra?
As nouns the difference between vertebra and vertebrae
is that vertebra is any of the small bones which make up the backbone while vertebrae is ; the bones that make up the spinal column.
What is the difference between vertebrae and spinal cord?
The vertebral column surrounds the spinal cord which travels within the spinal canal, formed from a central hole within each vertebra. The spinal cord is part of the central nervous system that supplies nerves and receives information from the peripheral nervous system within the body.
What vertebrae supports the most weight?
Lumbar vertebrae carry the greatest amount of body weight and are thus characterized by the large size and thickness of the vertebral body (Figure 6.36). They have short transverse processes and a short, blunt spinous process that projects posteriorly.
What part of the vertebrae supports most of the body weight?
The lumbar spine – the lower back, composed of five vertebrae, provides support for the majority of your body’s weight.
What is the first vertebra called?
atlas: the first cervical vertebra (C1), lying directly under the skull, through which the head articulates with the neck. The main connection to the vertebra below is a pivot around the odontoid process that is an upward projection of the body of the second cervical vertebra.
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.
Why does the human spine have curvatures?
From top to bottom, an ideal spine has an outward-inward-outward curve, thus taking the shape of an S. First and foremost, proper curvature of the spine gives it flexibility and creates support. The offsetting curves of each section create a spring-like structure, enabling the spine to act as a natural shock-absorber.
Are process and facet the same thing?
The articular processes or zygapophyses (Greek ζυγον = “yoke” (because it links two vertebrae) + απο = “away” + φυσις = “process”) of a vertebra are projections of the vertebra that serve the purpose of fitting with an adjacent vertebra. The actual region of contact is called the articular facet.
What are the 3 main parts of a vertebra?
The normal anatomy of the spine is usually described by dividing up the spine into three major sections: the cervical, the thoracic, and the lumbar spine.
What are the 5 types of vertebrae?
The spine is split into five regions: the cervical, thoracic, lumbar, sacral, and coccyx. The vertebrae of the sacrum and coccyx are fused, but those of the cervical, thoracic, and lumber regions are free to articulate.
Which vertebra has the Odontoid process?
Axis (C2) The second cervical vertebra, or axis, supports the dens, or odontoid process, which projects rostrally from the body, serving as a pivotal restraint against horizontal displacement of the atlas.