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Information about Articular Processes

Bone: Articular processes
A cervical vertebra. (Superior and inferior processes labeled at right.)
A thoracic vertebra. (Superior labeled at top; inferior labeled at bottom.)
Latinp. articularis inferior vertebrae, p. articularis superior vertebrae,
subject #20 97
Dorlands/Elsevier p_34/12667306
The articular processes (zygapophyses) of a vertebra, two superior and two inferior, spring from the junctions of the pedicles and laminæ.
  • The superior processes project upward from a lower vertebra, and their articular surfaces are directed more or less backward.
  • The inferior processes 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.

See also

Additional images


Cervical vertebra

Median sagittal section of two lumbar vertebræ and their ligaments.


External links

This article was originally based on an entry from a public domain edition of Gray's Anatomy. As such, some of the information contained herein may be outdated. Please edit the article if this is the case, and feel free to remove this notice when it is no longer relevant.
Spine [ edit]
general structures: body of vertebra, vertebral arch (pedicle, lamina, vertebral notch), foramina (vertebral, intervertebral), processes (transverse, articular, spinous) cervical vertebrae: C1 (anterior arch, posterior arch, lateral mass), C2 (dens), C7, posterior tubercle, foramen transversarium thoracic vertebrae: costal facets (superior, inferior, transverse) lumbar vertebrae: accessory process, mammillary process sacrum/coccyx: pelvic surface (anterior sacral foramina, dorsal surface (posterior sacral foramina, median sacral crest, medial sacral crest, lateral sacral crest), lateral surface, base, sacral hiatus
In vertebrates, cervical vertebrae (singular: vertebra) are those vertebrae immediately behind (caudal to) the skull.

Variation among species

In some species, some parts of the skull may be composed of vertebra-like elements, e.g.
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The thoracic vertebrae compose the middle segment of the vertebral column, between the cervical vertebrae and the lumbar vertebrae. They are intermediate in size between those of the cervical and lumbar regions; they increase in size as one proceeds down the spine, the upper
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Latin}}} 
Official status
Official language of: Vatican City
Used for official purposes, but not spoken in everyday speech
Regulated by: Opus Fundatum Latinitas
Roman Catholic Church
Language codes
ISO 639-1: la
ISO 639-2: lat
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Elsevier, the world's largest publisher of medical and scientific literature, forms part of the Reed Elsevier group. Based in Amsterdam, the company has substantial operations in the UK, USA and elsewhere.
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The Vertebral Column (singular: vertebra) are the individual irregular bones that make up the spinal column (aka ischis) — a flexuous and flexible column.
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The pedicles (from Latin pediculus, "small foot") are two short, thick processes, which project backward, one on either side, from the upper part of the body, at the junction of its posterior and lateral surfaces.
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The laminæ are two broad plates directed backward and medially from the pedicles.

They fuse in the middle line posteriorly, and so complete the posterior boundary of the vertebral foramen.
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Hyaline cartilage consists of a slimy mass of a firm consistency, but of considerable elasticity and pearly bluish color. It contains no nerves or blood vessels, and its structure is relatively simple.
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A zygapophysial joint (zygapophyseal, or facet joint) is a synovial joint between the superior articular process of one (lower) vertebra and the inferior articular process of the adjacent (higher) vertebra. There are two facet joints in each vertebral motion segment.
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The pars interarticularis, sometimes referred to as pars for short, is the part of vertebra located between the inferior and superior articular processes of the facet joint.[1] In the transverse plane, it lies between the lamina and pedicle.
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University of Wisconsin–La Crosse (also known as UW–La Crosse, Wisconsin-La Crosse, or UW-L) is a public university located in La Crosse, Wisconsin, USA.
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University of Michigan, Ann Arbor (U of M, UM or simply Michigan) is a coeducational public research university in the state of Michigan. The university was founded in 1817 in Detroit, about 20 years before the territory of Michigan officially became a state,
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The State University of New York Health Science Center at Brooklyn, better known as SUNY Downstate Medical Center, is an academic medical center and is the only one of its kind in the Borough of Brooklyn in New York City.
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eMedicine is an online clinical medical knowledge base that was founded in 1996 by Scott Plantz and Richard Lavely, two medical doctors. It was sold to WebMD in January 2006.
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Waynesburg University is a private, Christian, liberal arts college located in Waynesburg, Pennsylvania, USA. The university offers graduate and undergraduate programs in more than 70 academic concentrations, and enrolls over 2,100 students, including about 1,300 undergraduates.
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Waynesburg University is a private, Christian, liberal arts college located in Waynesburg, Pennsylvania, USA. The university offers graduate and undergraduate programs in more than 70 academic concentrations, and enrolls over 2,100 students, including about 1,300 undergraduates.
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Public domain comprises the body of knowledge and innovation (especially creative works such as writing, art, music, and inventions) in relation to which no person or other legal entity can establish or maintain proprietary interests within a particular legal jurisdiction.
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Henry Gray's Anatomy of the Human Body (or Gray's Anatomy as it has commonly been shortened) is an English-language human anatomy textbook widely regarded as a classic work on the subject.
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vertebral column (backbone or spine) is a column of 34 vertebrae, the sacrum, intervertebral discs, and the coccyx situated in the dorsal aspect of the torso, separated by spinal discs. It houses the spinal cord in its spinal canal.
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The body is the largest part of a vertebra, and is more or less cylindrical in shape.

Its upper and lower surfaces are flattened and rough, and give attachment to the intervertebral fibrocartilages, and each presents a rim around its circumference.
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The vertebral arch (or neural arch) is the posterior part of a vertebra.

It consists of a pair of pedicles and a pair of laminae, and supports seven processes:
  • four articular processes
  • two transverse processes
  • one spinous process


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The pedicles (from Latin pediculus, "small foot") are two short, thick processes, which project backward, one on either side, from the upper part of the body, at the junction of its posterior and lateral surfaces.
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The laminæ are two broad plates directed backward and medially from the pedicles.

They fuse in the middle line posteriorly, and so complete the posterior boundary of the vertebral foramen.
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Spine [ edit]
general structures: body of vertebra, vertebral arch (pedicle, lamina, vertebral notch), foramina (vertebral, intervertebral), processes (transverse, articular, spinous) cervical vertebrae:
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In a typical vertebra, the vertebral foramen is the foramen formed by the anterior segment (the body), and the posterior part, the vertebral arch.

The vertebral foramen begins at cervical vertebrae #1 (atlas) and continues inferior to lumbar vertebrae #5.
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intervertebral foramina (singular: foramen; also called neural foramina). The foramen allows for the passage of the spinal nerve root, dorsal root ganglion, the spinal artery of the segmental artery, communicating veins between the internal and external plexuses,
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The transverse processes of a vertebra, two in number, project one at either side from the point where the lamina joins the pedicle, between the superior and inferior articular processes. They serve for the attachment of muscles and ligaments.
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The spinous process of a vertebra is directed backward and downward from the junction of the laminae (in humans), and serves for the attachment of muscles and ligaments. In animals without an erect stance, the process points upward and may slant forward or backward.
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In vertebrates, cervical vertebrae (singular: vertebra) are those vertebrae immediately behind (caudal to) the skull.

Variation among species

In some species, some parts of the skull may be composed of vertebra-like elements, e.g.
..... Click the link for more information.
In anatomy, the atlas (C1) is the topmost (first) cervical vertebra of the spine.

It is named for the Atlas of mythology, because it supports the globe of the head.
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