Structure of the spine

Many underestimate the importance of the skeleton and, in particular, the spine. However, this should not be done, because it plays a very important role in human life. It is he who supports the person in a vertical state, in addition, he serves as a support for muscle tissues and organs, forms the walls of the thoracic and abdominal cavity. The structure of the spine allows it to withstand enormous loads, while it retains its flexibility and mobility. In general, when you start to think about the structure of this or that organ, especially the spine, each time you marvel at the wisdom of nature.

Scheme of the spine, in general, is simple and in its own way brilliant. It consists of 32 vertebrae, and its structure and purpose are divided into 4 divisions: sacral, lumbar, thoracic and cervical. One of the features of the structure of different parts of the spine is that each of its departments has a bend forward or backward. The directions of the bend are alternated in pairs: the cervical section bends forward, such bends are called lordosis, thoracic - back, such a bend is called kyphosis, and so on. This structure of the spine allows it to withstand enormous loads, because it looks like a spring, playing the role of shock absorber, softens the load when walking and running.

Each vertebra, except the first cervical, but more about this later, consists of a body and an arc. The arc forms an opening in the vertebra. All together, these holes form a cavity inside the spine, in which, under the reliable protection of bone tissue, the spinal cord is located . In addition, each vertebra has several paired and non-paired. They, together with intervertebral discs and ligaments, ensure the adhesion of the vertebrae to each other.

Now let's talk about each department separately. To begin it is necessary, naturally, from cervical. It includes only 7 vertebrae. Dimensions of the cervical vertebrae are much smaller than all the others. In general, the size of the vertebrae increases as it approaches the coccyx. This is necessary to compensate for the increasing load.

But back to the cervical vertebrae. I must say that their structure is most diverse. The first vertebra differs most from the others, it is called the atlant. It does not have a body, it consists of arcs and processes. The second already has a body, but it also differs from other cervical vertebrae by the presence of a large appendage called a tooth. This process is the axis around which the head rotates. On the sides of all the cervical vertebrae, one can see rudimentary rib processes. Most strongly they are expressed in 6 vertebrae. The hole formed by the arc in the cervical vertebrae has a triangular shape.

The vertebrae of the thoracic region have a larger body, the shape of the hole changes to a round one, on the transverse process of the vertebrae of the thoracic region there are rib fossae.

We continue to consider the structure of the spine. The next department is lumbar. There is another increase in the size of the body of the vertebrae. In addition, the lumbar vertebrae are distinguished by the horizontal arrangement of its processes. The size of the hole is much smaller.

The vertebrae of the sacral department are divided only up to the age of 25, by this time they are fused. The resulting bone is called a sacrum and has a triangular shape. It is part of the small pelvis.

The lumbosacral spine differs from the others in the massive dimensions of the vertebrae. After all, these parts account for the greatest burden.

Considering the structure of the spine, one simply can not release the intervertebral discs from view. They perform several functions at once: they connect vertebrae together and provide mobility of the spine. This multifunctionality is achieved due to the unique structure. The disk consists of two parts: the core, which is based on solid cartilage, and a dense ring of connective tissue. The cartilage takes on the main load, and the surrounding ring compensates it.

In general, the structure of the spine should already be clear. Of course, there are a lot of small details and features, but just one article for revealing all the subtleties is simply not enough.