Clinically applied anatomy of the vertebral column

The vertebral column (spinal column, spine, or backbone) forms the central axis of the body's skeleton. It supports the skull superiorly and participates in the formation of the pelvis inferiorly. The vertebral column comprises the following five regions in cephalocaudal sequence: cervical, thoracic, lumbar, sacral and coccygeal. The vertebral column contains the spinal cord within the vertebral canal, protecting the spinal cord from external trauma. Optimal medical and surgical management of spinal disease is crucially dependent on accurate clinical and radiological diagnosis, which in turn, are reliant on a sound understanding of the structural and functional anatomy of the vertebral column.
Source: Surgery (Medicine Publishing) - Category: Surgery Authors: Tags: Basic science Source Type: research