The vertebral column contains 24 vertebrae stacked on the sacrum and coccyx. A typical vertebra contains sites for joint articulations, weight bearing, and muscle attachments, as well as foramina for the spinal nerve roots and peripheral nerves. Anteriorly, the vertebral body supports weight bearing. The posterior vertebral arch encloses the spinal cord. Review the location of the vertebral processes and foramina, with particular attention to:

■ The spinous process projecting posteriorly in the midline and the two transverse processes at the junction of the pedicle and the lamina. Muscles attach at these processes.

■ The articular processes—two on each side of the vertebra, one facing up and one facing down, at the junction of the pedicles and laminae, often called articular facets.

■ The vertebral foramen, which encloses the spinal cord, the intervertebral foramen, formed by the inferior and superior articulating process of adjacent vertebrae, creating a channel for the spinal nerve roots; and in the cervical vertebrae, the transverse foramenfor the vertebral artery.

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