From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Projections of the vertebra
The
articular process
or
zygapophysis
(
Greek
:
ζυγ?ν
,
romanized
:
zugon
,
lit.
'
yoke
' +
apophysis
) of a
vertebra
is a projection of the vertebra that serves the purpose of fitting with an adjacent vertebra. The actual region of contact is called the
articular facet
.
[1]
Articular processes spring from the junctions of the
pedicles
and
laminæ
, and there are two right and left, and two superior and inferior. These stick out of an end of a
vertebra
to lock with a zygapophysis on the next vertebra, to make the
backbone
more stable.
- The superior processes or prezygapophysis project upward from a lower vertebra, and their articular surfaces are directed more or less backward (oblique coronal plane).
- The inferior processes or postzygapophysis project downward from a higher vertebra, and their articular surfaces are directed more or less forward and outward.
The articular surfaces are coated with
hyaline cartilage
.
In the cervical vertebral column, the articular processes collectively form the
articular pillars
. These are the bony surfaces palpated just lateral to the spinous processes.
Additional images
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See also
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References
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This article incorporates text in the
public domain
from
page 97
of the 20th edition of
Gray's Anatomy
(1918)
- ^
Moore, Keith L. et al. (2010)
Clinically Oriented Anatomy
, 6th Ed, p.442 fig. 4.2
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