156 Joints of the Spine. 



Corpus vertebrae 



Fibrocai'tilago intervertebralis 



208. Intervertebral disc, fibrocartilago intervertebralis, 



with the adjacent vertebral bodies , from in front. 



The ligamenta columnae vertebralis (spinal ligaments) consist of the 

 fibrocartilagines interverteb rales between every two vertebral bodies, of the capsulae 

 articulares, which unite the 'processus articulares inferiores of each vertebra with the 

 processus articulares superiores of the next vertebra below, and of ligaments which are 

 stretched out between the arches and between the processes of the same name of every 

 two adjacent vertebrae, namely: ligamenta flava, ligamenta intertransversaria, liga- 

 menta int er spin alia ; besides the latter there are still a number of ligaments present 

 which extend over the whole spinal collum or at least over the largest part of the 

 same: ligamentum supraspinale, ligamentum longitudinale anterius and Ugamentum 

 longitudinals posterius. 



The fibrocartilagines inter vert ebrales (intervertebral discs) (see also 

 Figs. 209 210) are flat fibrocartilaginous discs which lie between the adjacent surfaces 

 of every two successive vertebrae; to these surfaces they are very firmly attached by 

 a thin layer of hyaline cartilage. They have the shape of the adjacent vertebral body 

 but are somewhat larger so that at the edges they project somewhat over this. 



In the cervical and lumbar part of the vertebral column (see Fig. 210) they are 

 somewhat higher in front than behind. The total number of intervertebral discs present 

 down to the sacrum is 23; the uppermost is situated between the second and third 

 cervical vertebrae, the lowermost between the fifth lumbar vertebra and the sacrum 

 (see also page 162). 



On the five lower cervical vertebrae there is usually, on each side, between the bent 

 up lateral part of the upper surface of each vertebral body and the adjoining portion 

 of the intervertebral discs, a small joint cavity with a capsula articularis (see Fig. 2 1 5). 



