Influences of passive intervertebral range of motion on cervical vertebral form

Abstract

The cervical spine is the junction between the head and trunk, and it therefore facilitates head mobility and stability. The goal of this study is to test several predictions regarding cervical morphology and intervertebral ranges of motion. Intervertebral ranges of motion for 12 primate species were collected via radiographs or taken from the literature. Morphometric data describing functionally relevant aspects of cervical vertebral morphology were obtained from museum specimens representing these species. We tested for correlations between intervertebral movement and vertebral form using phylogenetic generalized least-squares regression. Results demonstrate limited support for the hypothesis that range of motion (ROM) is influenced by cervical vertebral morphology. Few morphological variables correlate with ROM and no relationship is consistently significant across cervical joints. These results indicate that the relationship between vertebral morphology and joint ranges of motion is, at most, weak, providing little support the use of bony morphology to reconstruct axial mobility in fossil specimens. Future work should investigate the role of soft tissues in vertebral joint stability.