See All About Upper Back Pain In This Article: Other areas of the upper back can also be a source of pain, it is just less common than in the neck or lower back. See When Back Pain Is a Spine Compression Fracture These fractures can lead to chronic back pain and progressive misalignment or deformity of the spine. Since they are major load bearing structures, vertebral bodies in the upper back are prone to developing compression fractures, particularly in patients with osteoporosis (which weakens the bone). There is little motion in the thoracic spine, so this region has less risk of injury or wear and tear. These structures have very little motion because they are firmly attached to the ribs and sternum (breastbone). See Thoracic Spine Anatomy and Upper Back Pain The thoracic spine makes up the upper back and has twelve vertebral bodies, labeled T1 through T12. See Cervical Vertebrae Vertebral Bodies in the Thoracic Spine The cervical vertebrae also serve an important function in protecting the spinal cord, which travels through a space in the center of the vertebral bones and connects the brain with the rest of the body. Unlike the rest of the spine, the segments in the cervical spine contain openings in each vertebral body for arteries to carry blood to the brain (vertebral artery running through the transverse foramen). Like the rest of the spine, the next five vertebral segments (named C3-C7) have three joints at each segment, including one disc in the front and paired facet joints in the back.See The C1-C2 Vertebrae and Spinal Segment The second vertebral body (called the axis), acts as a post that the first vertebral ring.The first cervical segment (called the atlas) is a ring that does not have a vertebral body.The cervical spine (the neck) has seven vertebral bodies, also called segments. Watch: Cervical Vertebrae Anatomy Animation The seven cervical vertebrae begin at the base of the skull and extend down to the thoracic spine.
0 kommentar(er)
