Vertebral Column Structure

Question 1

intervertebral disc is made of what 2 components

Answer 1

-annulua fibrosis
-nucleus pulposus

Question 2

annulus fibrosis

Answer 2

outside, hard component of intervertebral disc

Question 3

annulus fibrosis is made up of

Answer 3

concentric rings of fibrocartilage

Question 4

annulus fibrosis resists ____

Answer 4

tensile (stretching) stress

Question 5

annulus fibrosis restricts + regulates ____

Answer 5

movement between the vertebral bodies

Question 6

describe the rings of fibrocartilage of the annulus fibrosis

Answer 6

run in different directions
-makes it incredibly strong
-does not allow you to resist twist/torsion forces very well

Question 7

what is found on the inside of the annulus fibrosis

Answer 7

nucleus pulposus

Question 8

nucleus pulposus in young, healthy adults

Answer 8

predominantly water, hyprophilic

Question 9

nucleus pulposus once you reach 50 years old

Answer 9

begins to dry out + dessicate

Question 10

are there blood vessels/nerves in the nucleus pulposus

Answer 10

NO- has implications for nutrition of disc + sensory aspects of the disc (feedback in proprioception + pain)

Question 11

nucleus pulposus attenuates (reduces) ____

Answer 11

compressive forces

Question 12

end-plates of intervertebral discs

Answer 12

-cartilage on top + bottom of the nucleus
-separate disc from vertebrae

Question 13

what is special about the end-plates of intervertebral discs

Answer 13

has semipermeable barrier/membrane
-through which the nutritional aspects of the health of the disc diffuse through the vertebral body

Question 14

disc nutrition

Answer 14

-blood supply to outer annulus only
-intermittent loading/unloading to pump fluid in + out of the disc

Question 15

disc nutrition- blood supply goes to where

Answer 15

outer annulus only

Question 16

vertebral body itself had poor/great vasculature

Answer 16

great vasculature

Question 17

what does intermittent loading/unloading of disc do

Answer 17

pumps fluid in + out of the disc
-you may have heard that you are taller in the morning than the rest of the day
-this is part of the disc nutritional program- in weight-bearing, fluid gets pumped out of the disc + into the vertebral body through the semipermeable membrane
-when you unload, it is resorbed back into the disc
-consquently, you need movement to keep the disc healthy

Question 18

spinal cord runs from

Answer 18

runs from brain to L1-2 + onto coccyx

Question 19

what is spinal cord after coccyx

Answer 19

caudal aquina
-“horses tail” in Latin

Question 20

from L2 to the bottom of the coccyx the spinal cord is filled with ____

Answer 20

spinal peripheral nerves rather than CNS structures

Question 21

segmental innervation

Answer 21

each segment is innervated by nerves from that segment

Question 22

spinal dura mata

Answer 22

lines the vertebral canal + covers the spinal cord

Question 23

peripheral nerves exit through the ____

Answer 23

spinal dura mata

Question 24

ventral ramus

Answer 24

gets sensory information from the same spinal segment

Question 25

dorsal ramus

Answer 25

-nerves that come out to innervate that particular segment -nerves go to muscles from posterior aspect

Question 26

describe innervation of disc on peripheral aspect

Answer 26

disc only has very little innervation on peripheral aspect -implication is this is the only part of the disc that will send feedback back to the brain for injury or potential pain

Question 27

what part of spinal cord has a lot of nerve supply

Answer 27

vertebral body has a lot of nerve supply -nerves transmit the sensory information from here + therefore the vertebral body can transmit information that will become pain + pressure

Question 28

ligaments of the spinal cord

Answer 28

-anterior longitudinal ligament -posterior longitudinal ligament -ligamentum flavum -joint capsules -intertransverse ligament -interspinous ligament -supraspinous ligament

Question 29

anterior longitudinal ligament

Answer 29

-each segment is enforced anteriorly by anterior longitudinal ligament -thick 3 band ligament (deep/intermediate/superior layers)

Question 30

describe the layers of anterior longitudinal ligament

Answer 30

3 bands- deep, intermediate, + superior -superior layer runs across 3 vertebral bodies -deep layer just reinforces anterior section of the disc from segment to segment

Question 31

posterior longitudinal ligament

Answer 31

-runs the length of the vertebral spine -forms the anterior part of the vertebral canal

Question 32

what forms the anterior part of the vertebral canal

Answer 32

posterior longitudinal ligament

Question 33

ligament flavum

Answer 33

-lines the vertebral canal on posterior surface + lateral aspects has very high elastin content so it is very stretchy + recoils back to original length -covers anterior part of zygophyseal joints -elastic structure that allows joint to move without pinching joint structures

Question 34

joint capsules

Answer 34

provide some stability + surrounds zygopophyseal joints on lateral + posterior aspects

Question 35

intertransverse ligaments

Answer 35

-thinner + less supportive than A/P longitudinal ligaments -go between transverse processes

Question 36

what ligaments go between transverse processes

Answer 36

intertransverse ligaments

Question 37

interspinous ligament

Answer 37

-thinner + less support than A/P longitudinal ligaments -go between spinous processes

Question 38

what ligaments go between spinous processes

Answer 38

interspinous ligaments

Question 39

supraspinous ligament

Answer 39

-smaller, dense band of CT that goes from tip of spinous process to spinous process -most superficial structure we will palpate -runs all the way up the vertebral column + becomes very desnse/thick at cervical spine, where it is called the ligamentum nuchae

Question 40

which ligament is also called ligamentum nuchae

Answer 40

supraspinous ligament -called ligamentum nuchae at cervical spine where it becomes very dense/thick

Question 41

most superficial ligament of spine

Answer 41

supraspinous ligament