C3 Vertebra, Lateral View

Description

Oriented in true lateral profile, the third cervical vertebra (C3) is presented with the vertebral body anteriorly and the vertebral arch and bifid spinous process posteriorly. Superior and inferior articular processes project at the junction of pedicle and lamina, framing the zygapophysial (facet) joints with C2 above and C4 below, while the transverse process extends laterally to carry the transverse foramen for the vertebral vessels. Uncinate processes rise along the superolateral margins of the body, marking the uncovertebral region typical of the mid cervical spine. As a motion segment, C3 sits just inferior to the axis and participates in the coupled rotation and lateral flexion that characterizes the cervical region, so a clean lateral view helps clarify facet orientation and the relationship of the transverse foramen to the pedicle. Degenerative change at the uncovertebral joints (osteophytes along the uncinate processes) commonly contributes to cervical foraminal narrowing and radicular symptoms, and C3 is also a reference level in describing whiplash-associated facet pain and in planning posterior cervical medial branch blocks. Small details matter here. Use this illustration for gross anatomy and musculoskeletal modules, spine surgery and pain-medicine teaching files, and figure plates discussing cervical spondylosis, facet arthropathy, or vertebral artery risk near the transverse foramina. It also fits radiology primers that correlate plain-film lateral cervical landmarks with vertebral morphology. Anatomical accuracy verified by SciePro's Medical Advisory Board.