Ligaments of Sacrum and Coccyx
The lumbosacral junction is mechanically imperfect because of its angulation and the consequent sloping platform provided for the fifth lumbar vertebra by the first sacral vertebra (see Plate 3-9). The…
Distractive Flexion
In the first phase of injury, the posterior ligaments fail, allowing the facets to displace anteriorly. In the second phase, there is unilateral facet dislocation as the interspinous ligament, facet…
Sacrum and Coccyx
The broader base of the sacrum faces anterosuperiorly toward the abdomen; its elevated central third is the upper part of the first sacral vertebral body and bears a smooth oval…
Ligaments of Spinal Column
The anterior longitudinal ligament is a straplike band that increases in width from above downward and extends from the anterior tubercle of the atlas to the sacrum. It is firmly…
Thoracic Vertebrae
The vertebral foramina are smaller and more rounded than those in the cervical region, and so conform to the reduced size and more circular shape of the spinal cord in…
Lumbar Vertebrae and Intervertebral Disk
The pedicles are short and strong and arise from the upper and posterolateral aspects of the bodies; the superior vertebral notches are therefore less deep than the inferior notches. The…
Cervical Vertebrae
The cervical vertebral bodies are smaller than those of the other movable vertebrae and increase in size from above downward; they are broader in the transverse diameter than anteroposteriorly. The…
External Craniocervical Ligaments
The anterior atlanto-occipital membrane is a wide, dense, fibroelastic band extending between the anterior margin of the foramen magnum and the upper border of the anterior arch of the atlas….
Internal Craniocervical Ligaments
The broad, strong tectorial membrane lies within the vertebral canal. It prolongs the posterior longitudinal ligament upward from the posterior surface of the body of the axis to the anterior…
Atlas and Axis
The atlas (named after the mythical giant who carried the earth on his shoulders) supports the globe of the skull. It lacks a body and forms a ring consisting of…
