Vertebral Body

The vertebral body on a typical vertebra is a drum-shaped body (centrum) that forms a thick, anterior portion of the bone. A longitudinal row of the bodies supports the weight of the head and trunk. The intervertebral disks, which separate joining vertebrae, are fastened to the roughened upper and lower surfaces of the bodies. These disks cushion and soften the forces created by walking and jumping, which might otherwise fracture the vertebrae or jar the brain. Each intervertebral disk is...

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Anatomy Terms

Annulus Fibrosus
Anterior Longitudinal Ligament
Anterior Sacroiliac Ligament
Aorta
Arachnoid Mater
C1 (Atlas) - 1st Cervical Vertebra
C2 (Axis) - 2nd Cervical Vertebra
C3 (3rd Cervical Vertebra)
C4 (4th Cervical Vertebra)
C5 (5th Cervical Vertebra)
C6 (6th Cervical Vertebra)
C7 (7th Cervical Vertebra)
Coccyx
Dorsal Root of Spinal Nerve
Dura Mater
Fat in Epidural Space
Iliolumbar Ligament
Inferior Articular Process
Intertransverse Ligaments
Intervertebral Discs
L1 (1st Lumbar Vertebra)
L2 (2nd Lumbar Vertebra)
L3 (3rd Lumbar Vertebra)
L4 (4th Lumbar Vertebra)
L5 (5th Lumbar Vertebra)
Nucleus Pulposus
Pia Mater
Posterior Sacroiliac Ligament
Radiate Ligaments
Sacroiliac Joint
Sacrospinous Ligament
Sacrotuberous Ligament
Sacrum
Spinal Ganglion
Spinous Process
Subarachnoid Space
Superior Articular Process
Supraspinous Ligament
T1 (1st Thoracic Vertebra)
T10 (10th Thoracic Vertebra)
T11 (11th Thoracic Vertebra)
T12 (12th Thoracic Vertebra)
T2 (2nd Thoracic Vertebra)
T3 (3rd Thoracic Vertebra)
T4 (4th Thoracic Vertebra)
T5 (5th Thoracic Vertebra)
T6 (6th Thoracic Vertebra)
T7 (7th Thoracic Vertebra)
T8 (8th Thoracic Vertebra)
T9 (9th Thoracic Vertebra)
Transverse Process
Ventral Ramus (Intercostal Nerve)
Ventral Root of Spinal Nerve
Vertebral Body

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Full Vertebral Body Description

[Continued from above] . . . composed of a band of fibrous fibrocartilage (anulus fibrosus) that surrounds a gelatinous core, called the nucleus pulposus. The bodies of adjacent vertebrae are joined on the front surfaces by anterior ligaments and on the back by posterior ligaments. Projecting from the back of each body are two short stalks called pedicles.