L5 vertebra
Vertebra lumbalis L5
SkeletalSkeletonAbdomen
- What it is
- A lumbar vertebra: the largest vertebral bodies, kidney-shaped, with short hatchet-shaped spinous processes and long thin transverse processes.
- Function
- Bears most of the upper-body weight and allows bending forward and backward.
- Size
- Body 53 mm wide × 32 mm deep × 27 mm tall; canal ≈ 20 mm
- Clinical note
- Lumbar discs (L4–L5, L5–S1) are the commonest site of disc herniation and sciatica.