Articular process
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The articular process or zygapophysis ( + 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. 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.
The articular process or zygapophysis ( + 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. 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
Image:Cervical vertebra english.png|Cervical vertebra Image:Gray301.png|Median sagittal section of two lumbar vertebræ and their ligaments.
See also
Pars interarticularis Zygapophyseal joint
References
External links
Articular processes - BlueLink Anatomy - University of Michigan Medical School - "Lumbar Vertebral Column, Posterolateral View" - "Superior and lateral views of typical vertebrae." Photo of model at Waynesburg College skeleton2/inferiorarticularprocess Photo of model at Waynesburg College skeleton2/superiorarticularprocess
Text derived from https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?oldid=1252852923 under CC BY-SA 4.0; modifications have been made.