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Lumbar Spine Anatomy and Examination Updated 4/2010

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BASICS

  • Description

DIAGNOSIS

  • Signs and Symptoms
  • Tests
The following is an excerpt....
BASICS
Description
  • The spine is a complex system composed of bony elements, articulations, ligaments, muscles, spinal cord, and peripheral nerves divided into anterior, middle, and posterior columns.
  • The vertebral body, lamina, and the spinous process protect the spinal cord.
  • The lumbar spine (Fig. 1) contains 5 vertebrae and 5 nerve roots.
    • Most lumbar spines have a lordotic secondary curvature acquired when an infant begins walking (1).
    • The defining characteristics of the lumbar spine include a substantially large, kidney-shaped vertebral body, long and slender transverse processes (with accessory processes on the posterior base), and short and sturdy spinous processes (1).
  • The thick intervertebral discs, large articular surfaces, and the lack of rib attachments give the lumbar spine a wide ROM ...

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Fig. 1. Roentgenogram of normal lumbosacral spine. A: Transverse process. B: Pedicle. C: Posterior spinous process. D: Lamina. E: Sacrum. (From Steinberg GG, Akins CM, Baran DT. Orthopaedics in Primary Care, 3rd ed. Philadelphia: Lippincott Williams & Wilkins, 1999, with permission.)