general structures: body of vertebra, vertebral arch (pedicle, lamina, vertebral notch), foramina (vertebral, intervertebral), processes (transverse, articular, spinous) The vertebral column seen from the side Different regions (curvatures) of the vertebral column The vertebral column (backbone or spine) is a column of vertebrae situated in the dorsal aspect of the abdomen. ... When the vertebrae are articulated with each other the bodies form a strong pillar for the support of the head and trunk, and the vertebral foramina constitute a canal for the protection of the medulla spinalis (spinal cord), while between every pair of vertebræ are two apertures, the intervertebral foramina... A diagram of a thoracic vertebra. ...

cervical vertebrae: C1 (anterior arch, posterior arch, lateral mass), C2 (dens), C7, posterior tubercle, foramen transversarium A cervical vertebra Cervical vertebrae (Vertebrae cervicales) are the smallest of the true vertebrae, and can be readily distinguished from those of the thoracic or lumbar regions by the presence of a foramen (hole) in each transverse process. ... First cervical vertebra, or Atlas In anatomy, the Atlas (C1) is the topmost (first) cervical vertebra of the spine. ... The anterior arch of the atlas forms about one-fifth of the ring of the atlas: its anterior surface is convex, and presents at its center the anterior tubercle for the attachment of the Longus colli muscles; posteriorly it is concave, and marked by a smooth, oval or circular facet... In anatomy, the second cervical vertebra (C2) of the spine is named the axis or epistropheus. ...

thoracic vertebrae: costal facets (superior, inferior, transverse) A typical thoracic vertebra The thoracic vertebrae (vertebrae thoracales) compose the middle segment of the vertebral column, between the cervical vertebrae and the lumbar vertebrae. ...

lumbar vertebrae: accessory process, mammillary process Categories: Anatomy stubs | Anatomy ... Of the tubercles noticed in connection with the transverse processes of the lower thoracic vertebrae, the inferior is situated at the back part of the base of the transverse process, and is called the accessory process. ...

sacrum/coccyx: pelvic surface (anterior sacral foramina, dorsal surface (posterior sacral foramina, median sacral crest, medial sacral crest, lateral sacral crest), lateral surface, base, sacral hiatus This article or section may be confusing or unclear for some readers, and should be edited to rectify this. ... The coccyx is formed of four fused vertebrae. ... At the ends of the transverse ridges of the pelvic surface of the sacrum are seen the anterior sacral foramina (or pelvic sacral foramina), four in number on either side, somewhat rounded in form, diminishing in size from above downward, and directed lateralward and forward; they give exit to the...