Like the other lumbar vertebrae, this bone carries a substantial role in bearing the weight of your torso. Also like the other bones in your lumbar spine, this vertebra does not protect specific nerve bundles, which means that problems arising from injuries to this region present differently than in your middle or upper back.
Learn about the L3 vertebra, the role it plays in your spine, and how a chiropractor in Woodbridge, VA, can help to deal with injuries and issues from this important bone. There are a range of spinal injuries that can affect or be caused by the L3 vertebra. These include herniated or bulging discs, bone spurs, spondylosis, spondylolisthesis, and spinal arthritis, among others.
A number of common conditions, including sports injuries, can result in spinal compression injuries. When a spinal condition occurs at the L3 level, the symptoms usually include radiating pain from the lower back through the buttock and leg of the affected side.
Watch Now. This article highlights the anatomy of the L3-L4 motion segment, the potential problems that may occur in this region, and the treatment options.
Read more about Spinal Discs. The L3-L4 motion segment provides a bony enclosure to protect the cauda equina and other delicate structures. See Lumbar Spine Anatomy and Pain. See Degenerative Spondylolisthesis. Rarely, tumors and infections may affect the L3-L4 motion segment.
The lumbar vertebrae function to contain and protect the end of the spinal cord, as well as support the weight of the torso. The L1 vertebra is the topmost section of the lumbar spinal column. This section of the spine contains a portion of the spinal cord. The L2 vertebra contains the end of the spinal cord proper—all other spinal vertebrae below this point only have spinal nerves, not the spinal cord.
Injuries to the L2 vertebra can have effects similar to an L1 injury reduced hip flexion, paraplegia, and numbness. This is the middle vertebra of the lumbar spine, and the first vertebra to not contain a section of the spinal cord. The second to last section of the lumbar spinal column. While injuries to the L4 vertebra tend to be less severe than injuries to the spinal cord proper, symptoms include an inability to bend the feet in a particular direction.
The L5 vertebra is the final section of the lumbar spine at least, it is for most people. Injury to the L5 spinal nerve bundle can cause numbness and weakness in the legs, but the extent of these symptoms can vary from case to case.
While most people have only five lumbar vertebrae, there are cases where someone could have an extra lumbar vertebra. This is called lumbarization. It is usually the result of the first and second parts of the sacrum failing to fuse, creating an extra bone in the spinal column. In the majority of cases, this condition is harmless. However, some people who live with lumbarization may experience lower back pain without knowing why, or may be more prone to herniated discs in their spine.
Early treatment is important to the prognosis of lumbar spinal cord damage. Patients with a lumbar spinal cord injury can be independent and care for their own mobility and hygienic needs. Many patients are able to maneuver around in their manual wheelchair and may even be able to walk for short distances. Weakness is the main issue with patients who experience lumbar nerve injuries, so physical therapy is a must in the recovery phase.
Cauda Equina Syndrome CES , which is often difficult to distinguish from the similarly-located conus medullaris syndrome, affects the lumbar spine and is considered a medical emergency. CES affects the nerves of the lumbar spine, which may cause incontinence and potentially permanent paralysis of the legs. Where lumbarization is the presence of an extra bone in the lumbar spinal column due to the failure of the first and second sacral spine to fuse, sacralization is the fusing of the L5 vertebra with the sacral spine.
This condition frequently has no noticeable symptoms. In fact, people can live their whole lives without realizing that they have sacralization of their L5 vertebra. They number thirty-one pairs, which are grouped as follows: Cervical, 8; Thoracic, 12; Lumbar, 5; Sacral, 5; Coccygeal, 1. Nerve Roots. The Spinal Ganglia ganglion spinale are collections of nerve cells on the posterior roots of the spinal nerves.
Each ganglion is oval in shape, reddish in color, and its size bears a proportion to that of the nerve root on which it is situated; it is bifid medially where it is joined by the two bundles of the posterior nerve root.
The ganglia are usually placed in the intervertebral foramina, immediately outside the points where the nerve roots perforate the dura mater, but there are exceptions to this rule; thus the ganglia of the first and second cervical nerves lie on the vertebral arches of the atlas and axis respectively, those of the sacral nerves are inside the vertebral canal, while that on the posterior root of the coccygeal nerve is placed within the sheath of dura mater.
Connections with Sympathetic. Each spinal nerve receives a branch gray ramus communicans from the adjacent ganglion of the sympathetic trunk, while the thoracic, and the first and second lumbar nerves each contribute a branch white ramus communicans to the adjoining sympathetic ganglion. The second, third, and fourth sacral nerves also supply white rami; these, however, are not connected with the ganglia of the sympathetic trunk, but run directly into the pelvic plexuses of the sympathetic.
The spinal nerve then splits into a posterior or dorsal, and an anterior or ventral division, each receiving fibres from both nerve roots. IMAIOS and selected third parties, use cookies or similar technologies, in particular for audience measurement.
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