Lower Cervical Spine Anatomy
Overview
The lower region of the cervical spine does not provide the same complexity of motion that is present in the upper region of the cervical spine. Even though each region is functionally distinct, they complement one another to provide a wide range of motion.
The typical cervical segments, C3-C7, consist of a vertebral body and an intervertebral disk. The superior surface of the vertebral body is convex anteriorly and concave from side to side. The inferior surface of the vertebral body is concave anteriorly and convex from side to side. The anterior region of the vertebral disk is thicker than the posterior region. The resulting morphology produces a "
universal-type" joint that enables a wide range of motion. Vertebrae can have up to six degrees of freedom of motion. Vertebral bodies are able to translate along each of three orthogonal axes, and are also able to rotate about each of these same three axes. Join Dr. Philip E. Greenman, D.O., F.A.A.O., as he discusses this unique morphology.
The apophyseal joints of the typical cervical vertebrae face backward and upward at an angle of approximately 45 degrees. Because of the orientation of these facets, the shape of the intervertebral disks, and the unique contours of the superior and inferior surfaces of the vertebral bodies, sidebending is
always accompanied by rotation to the same same side (Type II Mechanics). Join Dr. Philip E. Greenman, D.O., F.A.A.O., as he discusses the orientation of the apophyseal joints.
