What direction do the cranial facets in the thoracic spine face?

What direction do the cranial facets in the thoracic spine face?

• A. V-D
• B. Cranial-Caudal
• C. Dorsal-Ventral
• D. Caudal - Cranial

Answer: (D)

The cranial (superior) articular facets of thoracic vertebrae are oriented upward toward the head and contact the inferior (caudal) facets of the vertebra above. Thinking of the joint as linking the lower vertebra to the one above, this contact runs from the caudal end of the joint to the cranial end. So the direction is caudal-to-cranial. This matches how the zygapophyseal joints stack in the thoracic region, while the other directional terms don’t reflect the actual orientation of these facets.

The cranial (superior) articular facets of thoracic vertebrae are oriented upward toward the head and contact the inferior (caudal) facets of the vertebra above. Thinking of the joint as linking the lower vertebra to the one above, this contact runs from the caudal end of the joint to the cranial end. So the direction is caudal-to-cranial. This matches how the zygapophyseal joints stack in the thoracic region, while the other directional terms don’t reflect the actual orientation of these facets.