Cervical and thoracic vertebrae: description, structure, function. Compression fracture of the thoracic vertebra

The spine is the basis of the human musculoskeletal system. The spine is characterized by its S-shaped shape, which provides its flexibility and elasticity, and also facilitates any shaking, manifested during running, ordinary walking and many other physical exertions. The spinal column enables a person to walk straight, keep the posture straight, keeping the body in balance. And the thoracic vertebra is one of the main components of the ridge.

How the spine is arranged

The spine consists of small bones called vertebrae. Their total number is 24 pieces, one after another linked in a perpendicular position. Vertebrae divide into different groups: 7 cervical, 12 thoracic and 5 lumbar. In the lower region of the spine, behind the lumbar spine, there is a sacrum, containing 5 vertebrae joined together into a single bone. Just below the sacral part is the coccyx, in the base of which there are also fused vertebrae.

Description

The vertebral body has a cylindrical shape and is considered to be the strongest place on which a significant support load falls. Behind the body there is an arch of the vertebra, which has the shape of a semicircle with outgrowths from it. The vertebra of the vertebra, as well as its body, create a spine passage. The total number of openings in all the vertebrae, lying exactly one above the other, forms a spinal canal. It is designed to contain blood vessels, spinal cord and nerve roots.

In the formation of the spinal canal, nodules are still involved, among which the most important are the ligaments: posterior longitudinal and yellow. The last lobar joint tightens the trunk of the vertebrae from behind, and the yellow connects their nearby folds. The vertebra of the vertebra has 7 processes, of which the lower and upper joint are involved in the production of the facet joints, and the transverse and spinous branches retain the ligaments and muscles.

Vertebrae of thoracic spine These are spongy bones, they have matter inside which is covered with a hard cortical coating. Spongy substance has bone bones and formed cavities that contain red bone marrow.

The intervertebral disc

It is located between the two adjacent vertebrae and has the appearance of a rounded, even gasket. In the middle of the intervertebral disc there is a pulpous nucleus, which has good elasticity and performs the function of depreciation of the vertical load. This core is covered by a multilayered fibrous circle that fixes it in the central position, and also prevents the displacement of the vertebrae in the direction relative to each other. The fibrous circle consists of a considerable number of strong fibers and interlayers intersecting in three surfaces.

Facet joints

From the spine plate there are articular facets (branches), which are involved in the production of facet joints. Cervical and thoracic vertebrae Are connected by two complex joints located from both walls of the arch symmetrically to the central line of the trunk. The intervertebral processes of the adjacent vertebrae are in directionality to each other. Their ends are covered with smooth articular cartilage, due to which the friction between the bones forming the joint is reduced to a greater extent.

Foraminal holes

In the lateral parts of the spinal column there are foramen lumens formed by articular branches, bodies and legs of two adjacent vertebrae. For these holes there are places of exit of veins from the spinal canal and nerve roots. Arteries, on the contrary, pass into the spinal duct, supplying blood supply to the nerve roots.

The invertebral muscles

They are located near the spine. Their main importance is the maintenance of the spine, and it is also possible to make various movements to a person with the help of turns and inclinations.

Thoracic vertebrae: its functions

The importance of the spinal column can not be overestimated, because it performs some important functions:

• Protective (preservation of the spinal cord);
• Motor (movement of the head and trunk);
• Supporting.

Cervical spine

In this area there are 7 vertebrae. A characteristic feature of this part is its mobility. The first vertebrae here are the axis and the atlas, which differ from others in a peculiar structure. In the anterior part of the axis is a bone growth, called a tooth. Atlant does not provide for the existence of a vertebral body. The structure contains 2 arms, where the first is the front, and the second - the back. The side pillar makes it possible to combine them. Because of the small load, the cervical vertebrae are small in size.

The importance of the neck area for the human body

The cervical region contributes to the functioning of most parts of the body, which can not be said about the thoracic vertebrae of a person. These include:

• Facial nerves;
• Eyes, nose and lips;
• Elbows;
• thyroid;
• pituitary.

Diseases associated with disorders of the cervical vertebrae

The list of possible ailments is as follows:

• Goiter, acute respiratory infections;
• Sinusitis, eczema;
• Pain in the joints and shoulder muscles;
• Laryngitis, tonsillitis;
• Decreased vision, hearing loss;
• Headaches, runny nose, memory impairment.

Factors of increased traumatic danger

The neck zone is considered the most sensitive to all kinds of bruises compared to the spine. There are explanations for this:

• Small value;
• Muscular corset, which is weakened in the neck;
• Small mechanical hardness of the vertebrae for this area.

Thoracic spine

Here there are 12 vertebrae, to the bodies of which the ribs are fixed. The thorax is formed by the vertebrae and the ribs joining the sternum. Only ten pairs of ribs are attached to the bone itself, while others remain free.

If the appreciable load on the spine increases, then the size of the vertebral body also increases. There are also the existence of additional costal pits. Often, in one vertebra, there are two half-senes, one of which is upper, and the other is lower.

Thoracic vertebrae: basic properties

A characteristic feature of the region of the spine is that it is inactive. The load on it is almost insignificant. However, the thoracic region acts as the main support for the thorax. Normally, this part of the back should be similar to the letter "C", while the roundness is directed back. For the intervertebral discs available here, a small height is characteristic. This is the reason for reducing the agility of such a place. In addition to concentrating the mobility of the discs, elongated and spinous spine processes contribute. It has a form of shingles.

Diseases of the thoracic region

This department has a vertebral canal, which is very narrow. The perpetrators of the compression of vertebrae can become huge formations. These include:

• Hernia;
• Various tumors;
• Osteophytes.

If there is a ridge injury

Fracture of the thoracic vertebrae is a lesion that breaks the anatomical integrity of the spine, accompanied by painful sensations focused on the injured place, and deformation of the spine in the wound area. In addition, there is a flow of soft tissues and a disorder of the corresponding work of the pelvic organs and limbs. One of these fractures can be compression.

What it is

Compression fracture of the thoracic vertebra means compressed. Consequently, such a trauma is the result of squeezing the spine, after which the vertebrae crack, dissolve and flatten. Most often suffer from the middle and lower parts of the waist, as well as the thoracic region.

If a person falls from a height or sharply tilts, the spine is bent by an arc, which leads to a rapid reduction in muscle mass and significantly increases pressure on the anterior region of the spine.

But still the greatest burden is felt by the middle zone of the thoracic section. As a result of exceeding the measure of physiological elasticity of the spine, a wedge-shaped compression appears, and as a consequence, a fracture of the thoracic vertebra.

Stages of spine injury

Compression fracture can be divided into three degrees of complexity, due to the size of the deformation of the vertebral body. If the vertebral column is injured in the 1st stage, then the length of the trunk of its vertebra decreases by 1/3, at the 2nd index by 1/2, and already at the third the reduction is more than half.

Usually, the damages of the 1st category are considered permanent, and the 2nd and 3rd are unstable, which are characterized by the pathological vertebrality of the vertebrae. Damage can be either single or multiple. Most often they are in the middle of the thoracic region.

What are the causes of spine fractures?

The thoracic vertebrae have good hardness and can withstand significant mechanical stress. The destruction of their integrity happens due to certain factors:

• A large volume of loads in young people;
• Osteoporosis of bones (reduction of bone density due to a lack of calcium salts in their structure);
• Presence of tuberculosis or metastatic adenoma leading to decay of the vertebral body;
• Deficiency of calcium in the body (in children).

Typical features of vertebral column fracture

There are individual indicators for compression trauma of the thoracic region:

• Painful sensations when the spine rod is loaded;
• Difficult breathing during injury;
• Minor soreness and tension of the back muscles in the fracture zone.

Injuries of the vertebrae often become the culprits of irradiating pain in the abdomen. Symptoms of paralysis and disorders of healthy pelvic activity are found rarely, only after the lesion of the thoracic region or if there is a spondylolisthesis (displacement of the thoracic vertebrae).

In the case of a fracture of the cervical vertebrae , the unusual position of the head is observed, as well as the localization of its slopes, movements, and tension of the neck muscles. Approximately every third compression spinal cord injury is accompanied by excitation of the nerve roots of the spinal cord and its veins.

That's why you need to protect your spine from all sorts of fractures and sudden movements, so as not to injure the thoracic vertebra.