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Chapter 15 - Biomechanics of the Spine

from Section 2 - Clinical Neurosurgical Diseases

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  04 January 2024

By
Gaetano De Biase  and
Kingsley Abode-Iyamah
Edited by
Farhana Akter ,
Nigel Emptage ,
Florian Engert  and
Mitchel S. Berger
Farhana Akter
Affiliation:
Harvard University, Massachusetts
Nigel Emptage
Affiliation:
University of Oxford
Florian Engert
Affiliation:
Harvard University, Massachusetts
Mitchel S. Berger
Affiliation:
University of California, San Francisco
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Summary

The human spine consists of 33 vertebrae grouped into five regions. From superior to inferior there are seven cervical, 12 thoracic, five lumbar, five fused sacral, and four small fused coccygeal vertebrae. The spine is a functionally complex and significant component of the human body that not only provides bony protection to the spinal cord but also provides an incredible amount of flexibility to the trunk and serves as the mechanical linkage between the upper and lower extremities, allowing movement in all three planes. Biomechanics, the application of mechanical principles to living organisms, is crucial in understanding how the bony and soft spinal components interact to ensure spinal stability, and how this is affected by degenerative disorders, trauma, and tumors.

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Chapter
Information
Neuroscience for Neurosurgeons , pp. 234 - 238
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
Print publication year: 2024

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