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Robotic Spine Universe

Structures · Vertebrae

C7 vertebra

Vertebra 7 of the cervical (neck) spine. This page uses the vertebral level system; the cord segments that lie opposite it have different names.

Show in the 3D spineSee what it connects to in the body

At a glance

Level system
C7 vertebra (vertebral level)
Cord segments opposite its body
C8 to T1Model mapping (PAM50 cord in this column); varies between people. Frostell et al. 2016; De Leener et al. 2018; Cadotte et al. 2014
Canal, front to back × side to side
12.7 × 25.4 mmMeasured on one model: the Visible Human male, imaged as a supine cadaver. Not a normal range
C7 nerve
The C7 nerve exits between the C6 vertebra and the C7 vertebra, above the C7 vertebra.Betts et al. 2022, §13.4
C8 nerve
The C8 nerve exits between the C7 vertebra and the T1 vertebra, below the C7 vertebra.Betts et al. 2022, §13.4

What the sources say

“In the neck, there are seven cervical vertebrae, each designated with the letter “C” followed by its number.” Betts et al. 2022, §7.3
“Figure 7.25 Cervical Vertebrae A typical cervical vertebra has a small body, a bifid spinous process, transverse processes that have a transverse foramen and are curved for spinal nerve passage.” Betts et al. 2022, §7.3
“A second set of vessels that supply the CNS are the vertebral arteries , which are protected as they pass through the neck region by the transverse foramina of the cervical vertebrae.” Betts et al. 2022, §13.3

Connections to the rest of the body

  • Muscle attachments

    Muscles that hold up and turn the head

    Semispinalis capitis and splenius capitis run from the cervical and upper thoracic vertebrae to the back of the skull and tilt or turn the head.

    Betts et al. 2022, §11.3 · Show on the body

  • Muscle attachments

    Rhomboids tie the scapula to C7–T5

    Rhomboid minor arises from C7 and T1, rhomboid major from T2 to T5; both pull the medial border of the scapula toward the spine.

    Betts et al. 2022, §11.5 · Show on the body

  • Arterial supply

    Vertebral arteries climb through the neck vertebrae

    Each vertebral artery leaves the subclavian artery, climbs through the holes in the transverse processes of the cervical vertebrae and enters the skull to supply the brainstem, cerebellum and spinal cord.

    Betts et al. 2022, §20.5; Betts et al. 2022, §13.3 · Show on the body

  • Arterial supply

    Anterior spinal artery: down the front of the cord

    Branches of the two vertebral arteries join into the anterior spinal artery, which runs down the front of the cord in its midline groove.

    Betts et al. 2022, §13.3 · Show on the body

  • Venous drainage

    Vertebral veins drain the cervical cord

    Veins from the base of the brain and the cervical cord travel through the neck vertebrae beside the vertebral arteries and empty into the brachiocephalic veins.

    Betts et al. 2022, §20.5 · Show on the body

Read more

  • Sagittal alignment

    How the spine's side-view curves and the pelvis work together to keep the trunk balanced over the hips. Pelvic incidence, tilt and slope, the C7 plumb line, and how the body compensates when alignment is lost.

For learning only. Levels and sizes vary between people; nothing here describes a particular person or gives medical advice. Sources: Betts et al. 2022, §7.3; Betts et al. 2022, §13.3; Frostell et al. 2016; De Leener et al. 2018; Cadotte et al. 2014; Betts et al. 2022, §13.4; Betts et al. 2022, §11.3; Betts et al. 2022, §11.5; Betts et al. 2022, §20.5.