Dr. Karges - Understanding Your Spine
Dr. David Karges is an orthopaedic surgeon practicing in Saint Louis, MO. Dr. Karges specializes in the diagnosis, treatment and rehabilitation of injuries, diseases and disorders of the bodys musculoskeletal system. As an orthopaedic surgeon, Dr. Karges tends to bones, ligaments, muscles, joints, nerves and tendons. Orthopaedic... more
The regions of the spine consist of the cervical, thoracic, lumbar, and sacral.
The cervical spine consists of your neck area. There are 7 vertebrae labeled C1 thru C7. These support your skull and protect your brain stem and spinal cord. The first two vertabrae, the Atlas and Axis, are responsile for your ability to rotate and turn.
Thoracic Spine. Under C7 are 12 thoracic vertebrae named from T1 to T12. The bottom vertabrae are larger than the top. Compared to the cervical vertabrae, these are all larger and have longer spinous processes. The rib cage limits your range of motion, in liu of protecting yoru vital organs and adding stability to the spine.
Lumbar Spine. This part of the spine carries most of your weight. It allows for more motion than the thoracic spine, but not as much as your cervical. titled L1 through L5, these vertabrae enable a good amount of flex and extention, but limited roation.
Sacral Spine. The last lumbar vertabrae articulates wth the sacrum, 5 fused bones that fit between your hips and connect the spine to the pelvis. These 5 bones are titled S1 through S5. At the very end of the spine are 5 more fused bones that make up your tailbone.
