Backbone

Backbone – a body of an axial skeleton of an organism. The structure of a backbone is ideally adapted for performance of basic function. Besides, the backbone is an elaborate receptacle of a spinal cord, nervous roots.

The rachis is formed by 24 vertebrae and intervertebral disks. Intervertebral disks are biological shock-absorbers which extinguish the loadings which are constantly perceived by a backbone tie vertebras among themselves, and also play a role of semi-joints, providing the small volume of movements within one segment.

Departments of a backbone

There are five departments of a backbone:

• cervical (contains 7 vertebrae);
• chest (12 vertebrae);
• lumbar (5 vertebrae);
• sacral (5 vertebrae);
• coccygeal department of a backbone (3-5 vertebrae).

Backbone bends

The rachis has bends: lordoses – the departments curved forward (cervical, lumbar), a kyphosis – the departments curved back (chest, sacral).

Vertebra structure

Vertebrae are the bones creating a rachis. A front cylindrical part of each vertebra is called a body. The body of a vertebra maintains the main axial loading. Behind from a body the semi-ring handle of a vertebra having several shoots is located. The body and a handle of a vertebra limit a pozvonkovy opening. The openings of all vertebrae located one above another create the vertebral channel. In the channel of a backbone the spinal cord, nervous roots, blood vessels, a fatty tissue are located.

7 shoots depart from a handle of each vertebra: acantha (unpaired) and pair upper joint, lower joint and cross shoots. Cross and acanthas provide an attachment of sheaves and muscles, and joint shoots take part in formation of facet joints of a backbone.

Backbone ligaments

In addition to bodies and handles of vertebrae, sheaves participate in formation of the vertebral channel. The large role is played a back longitudinal, and also yellow sheaf. The back longitudinal sheaf has an appearance of a tyazh, connects bodies of all vertebrae behind. The yellow ligament of a backbone connects arches of the next vertebrae. She received the name thanks to the yellow pigment which is a part. At damage of intervertebral disks, joints these sheaves compensate pathological mobility (instability) of vertebrae, at the same time there is a hypertrophy of sheaves. As a result of this process the gleam of the vertebral channel decreases, then even small hernias and bone outgrowths squeeze a spinal cord, roots.

Intervertebral disk

The intervertebral disk is the flat formation of rounded shape located between the next vertebrae. Structure of an intervertebral disk quite difficult. In the center of a disk the pulpozny kernel having elastic properties and which is carrying out a role of the shock-absorber of vertical loading is located. Around a pulpozny kernel the multilayer fibrous ring holding the pulpozny kernel in the center and also interfering the shift of vertebrae is located. The intervertebral disk of the adult has no vessels, his cartilage eats thanks to diffusion of oxygen and nutrients from vessels of bodies of vertebrae. For this reason the majority of drugs do not get into a disk cartilage. Treatment of a backbone at many diseases is complicated by it.

Intervertebral joints

Intervertebral, or facet, joints connect the next vertebrae and are located from two parties from a pozvonkovy handle symmetrically. Joint shoots of the next vertebrae go to each other, the terminations of shoots are covered with a joint cartilage. The cartilage has a slippery smooth surface thanks to what friction between bones which form a joint significantly decreases. The ends of joint shoots are surrounded with the tight joint capsule. Cells of a joint bag produce synovial fluid. It is necessary for food and lubricant of a joint cartilage.

Intervertebral openings

Intervertebral openings are located in side departments of a backbone, are formed by bodies, legs, and also joint shoots of the next vertebrae. Through intervertebral openings there are veins and nerves, and arteries, krovosnabzhayushchy structures of a backbone enter. Between pair of vertebras two openings are located.

Backbone hernia

Backbone hernia, or hernia nuclei pulposi, represents the shift of the pulpozny kernel located in an intervertebral disk with a rupture of a fibrous ring. Most often this pathology arises in lumbosacral department, is much more rare – in cervical, chest departments. Clinical signs of hernia of a backbone are the local pain in a projection of the damaged disk amplifying at loading, irradiating in a buttock and also on the back surface of a hip, numbness, a pricking in a zone of an innervation of the damaged roots, disturbance of sensitivity in the lower extremities, and also dysfunction of pelvic bodies. At localization of hernia in cervical department the pain irradiating on an upper extremity, dizziness, arterial hypertension, numbness of fingers of hands is characteristic. At defeat of chest department there is constant pain during the work in forced situation which is localized in chest department of a backbone. Treatment of a hernia nuclei pulposi consists in system antiinflammatory therapy (NPVS), and also operational treatment. Indications to operational treatment of a backbone at this pathology are neurologic disturbances and a pain syndrome, resistant to conservative therapy. Operational treatment consists in intralaminarny microsurgical removal of hernia of a disk. Also actively the direction of endoscopic removal of a hernia nuclei pulposi develops.

Spinal fracture

Spinal fracture is a disturbance of anatomic integrity of bones of a backbone under the influence of force provoking the sharp excessive flexion movements in a rachis, or directly at influence of the injuring agent. On the mechanism of damage distinguish such types of spinal fracture: compression, flexion дистракционный, rotational spinal fracture. Symptoms of spinal fracture depend on damage localization. Characteristic signs is pain, numbness, muscular spasms, change of a vermicular movement of intestines, paralyzes (this symptom indicates injury of a spinal cord). The diagnosis is made on the basis of data of X-ray inspection, computer tomography, magnetic and resonant tomography of a backbone. Treatment of spinal fracture can be conservative (the special holding corsets) or operational (it is necessary at spinal fractures with shift). At treatment of compression changes the vertebroplastika and a kifoplastika is applied.