Introduction
Spinal stenosis is a condition which involves the narrowing of the vertebral column, either in the spinal canal, intervertebral foramina, or the intervertebral spaces. The condition is degenerative and widespread, affecting approximately five in every one thousand people (Hsiang, 2015). This report aims to describe the anatomy of the vertebral column and spinal cord, relating changes in anatomy to the development and presentation of spinal stenosis. Within this discussion, the report includes a comparison of the types of spinal stenosis and their respective signs, symptoms and complications.
1. Spinal anatomy 1.1 Vertebral column
The human vertebral column consists of 33 vertebrae, classified into five different regions: cervical, thoracic, lumbar, sacral and coccygeal, with 7, 12, 5, 5, and 3-4 vertebrae in each region respectively (see Fig.1). While they are counted as separate bones, it should be noted that the sacral vertebrae are fused into a single bone (the sacrum) to maximise spinal stability and strength for weight-bearing. It is also not uncommon for the coccygeal vertebrae to fuse into a single coccyx bone (Gray, Drake, Vogl & Mitchell, 2014).
While the features of each …show more content…
The section of spinal cord that gives rise to each set of posterior and anterior rootlets is referred to as a ‘spinal segment’. Thus, each spinal segment gives rise to a single pair of spinal nerves as the posterior and anterior roots merge laterally on each side of the segment. Because the spinal cord is shorter than the vertebral column, the roots of the spinal nerves become longer more inferiorly. At the end of the spinal cord, the roots of the lumbar, sacral and coccygeal nerves all travel downwards in a cluster to reach their inferior exit points. This cluster of nerve roots is referred to as the ‘cauda equina’ (see Fig.9) (Gray et al.,
Spinal stenosis is a condition which involves the narrowing of the vertebral column, either in the spinal canal, intervertebral foramina, or the intervertebral spaces. The condition is degenerative and widespread, affecting approximately five in every one thousand people (Hsiang, 2015). This report aims to describe the anatomy of the vertebral column and spinal cord, relating changes in anatomy to the development and presentation of spinal stenosis. Within this discussion, the report includes a comparison of the types of spinal stenosis and their respective signs, symptoms and complications.
1. Spinal anatomy 1.1 Vertebral column
The human vertebral column consists of 33 vertebrae, classified into five different regions: cervical, thoracic, lumbar, sacral and coccygeal, with 7, 12, 5, 5, and 3-4 vertebrae in each region respectively (see Fig.1). While they are counted as separate bones, it should be noted that the sacral vertebrae are fused into a single bone (the sacrum) to maximise spinal stability and strength for weight-bearing. It is also not uncommon for the coccygeal vertebrae to fuse into a single coccyx bone (Gray, Drake, Vogl & Mitchell, 2014).
While the features of each …show more content…
The section of spinal cord that gives rise to each set of posterior and anterior rootlets is referred to as a ‘spinal segment’. Thus, each spinal segment gives rise to a single pair of spinal nerves as the posterior and anterior roots merge laterally on each side of the segment. Because the spinal cord is shorter than the vertebral column, the roots of the spinal nerves become longer more inferiorly. At the end of the spinal cord, the roots of the lumbar, sacral and coccygeal nerves all travel downwards in a cluster to reach their inferior exit points. This cluster of nerve roots is referred to as the ‘cauda equina’ (see Fig.9) (Gray et al.,