(centrum), a number of winglike projections, and a bony arch. The bodies of the vertebrae form the strong but pliable supporting column of the skeleton. The arches are positioned so that the space they enclose is in effect a tube, the vertebral canal. It houses and protects thespinal ...
to be slid or inserted from a posterior direction between the facing faces of two consecutive vertebrae in order to maintain a given distance between them and to restore the stability of the spinal column, e.g. after a failure of the corresponding joint, by fixing the two vertebrae together....