The transverse processes form important connection points for many muscles, including the rotatores and multifidus muscles that extend and rotate the trunk. On the left and right lateral sides of each vertebra are the short, triangular transverse processes. It serves as a connection point for the muscles of the back and pelvis, such as the psoas major and interspinales. The spinous process extends from the posterior end of the arch as a thin rectangle of bone. The vertebral foramen is a large, triangular opening in the center of the vertebra that provides space for the spinal cord, cauda equina, and meninges as they pass through the lower back.Įxtending from the vertebral arch are several bony processes that are involved in muscle attachment and movement of the lower back. The arch surrounds the hollow vertebral foramen and connects the body to the bony processes on the posterior of the vertebra. Posteriorly the body is connected to a thin ring of bone known as the arch. A cylinder of bone known as the vertebral body makes up the majority of the lumbar vertebrae’s mass and bears most of the body’s weight. The lumbar vertebrae are the some of the largest and heaviest vertebrae in the spine, second in size only to the sacrum. The jelly-like nucleus pulposus acts as a shock absorber to resist the strain and pressure exerted on the lower back. The outer layer of the intervertebral disk, the annulus fibrosus, holds the vertebrae together and provides strength and flexibility to the back during movement. Together they create the concave lumbar curvature in the lower back.Ĭonnecting each vertebra to its neighboring vertebra is an intervertebral disk made of tough fibrocartilage with a jelly-like center. The lumbar vertebrae are stacked to form a continuous column in order from superior (L1 or first lumbar vertebra) to inferior (L5 or fifth lumbar vertebra).
0 kommentar(er)
