- Typically, there are three spinal joints located between each two contiguous vertebrae: paired facet joints and a disc joint.
- the facet joints are posterior and lateral.
- the disc joint is anterior and midline.
- Facet joints are synovial, diarthrotic, planar joints that allow motion in all three cardinal planes.
- Disc joints are cartilaginous amphiarthrotic joints that allow motion in all three cardinal planes.
- Generally, facet joints determine the type of motion best permitted at that segmental joint level and the disc joint determines how much motion is possible.
- Spinal joints allow:
- Flexion/Extension in the sagittal plane.
- Right lateral flexion / Left lateral flexion in the frontal plane.
- Right rotation / Left rotation in the transverse plane.
NOTES:
- Spinal joints are generally name for their segmental joint level. For example, T4-T5 is the joint level between T4 and T5, and L1-L2 is the joint level between L1 and L2.
- The joint between the lumbar spine and the sacrum, in other words between L5 and the base of the sacrum, is called the lumbosacral joint or the L5-S1 joint.
- Facet joints are technically named apophyseal joint (singular) and zygapophyseal joints (plural).
- Disc joints are technically named intervertebral disc joints.
- Facet joints are located between the inferior articular facets of the superior vertebra and the superior articular facets of the inferior vertebra.
- Disc joints are located between vertebral bodies.
- Facet joints determine the type of motion at their level based on the plane of their facet surfaces.
- Generally, facet joints in the cervical spine best allow transverse plane rotation; facet joints in the thoracic spine would best allow lateral flexion except that the rib cage inhibits much frontal plane lateral flexion; the facet joints in the lumbar spine best allow sagittal plane flexion/extension.
- The thicker the disc, the more motion that is allowed at that segmental joint level.
- Disc joints bear more weight than facet joints.
- The atlas (C1) has no body, so there is no disc joint between the atlas and occiput (atlanto-occipital joint) and no disc joint between the atlas and the axis (C2) (atlantoaxial joint). The atlanto-occipital joint has its own glossary post.
- The atlantoaxial (C1-C2) joint complex does have the atlanto-odontoid joint between the anterior arch of the atlas (C1) and the odontoid process (dens) of the axis (C2). The atlanto-axial joint has its own glossary post.
![Right lateral view of the spinal column.](https://learnmuscles.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/05/15-ES-lateral-5983-256x1024.jpg)
Right lateral view of the spinal column.
![Anterior view of the spinal column.](https://learnmuscles.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/05/15-ES-posterior-5805-08-09-256x1024.jpg)
Anterior view of the spinal column.
![Right lateral view of the cervical spine.](https://learnmuscles.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/05/11-C1-T1-lateral-6925-modified-1-795x1024.jpg)
Right lateral view of the cervical spine.
![Right lateral view of the thoracic spine.](https://learnmuscles.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/05/12-T1-T12-lateral-5544-modified-512x1024.jpg)
Right lateral view of the thoracic spine.
![Right lateral view of the lumbar spine.](https://learnmuscles.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/05/13-L1-Sacrum-lateral-4436-585x1024.jpg)
Right lateral view of the lumbar spine.
![Anterior view of the cervical spine.](https://learnmuscles.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/05/11-C1-T1-anterior-6903-675x1024.jpg)
Anterior view of the cervical spine.
![Posterior view of the cervical spine.](https://learnmuscles.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/05/11-C1-T1-posterior-6947-686x1024.jpg)
Posterior view of the cervical spine.
![Posterior view of the thoracic spine.](https://learnmuscles.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/05/12-T1-T12-posterior-5520-512x1024.jpg)
Posterior view of the thoracic spine.
![Posterior view of the lumbar spine.](https://learnmuscles.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/05/13-L1-sacrum-posterior-4612-modified-662x1024.jpg)
Posterior view of the lumbar spine.
![Oblique (anterolateral) view of the cervical spine.](https://learnmuscles.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/05/11-C1-T1-oblique-6876-551x1024.jpg)
Oblique (anterolateral) view of the cervical spine.