Morphological and functional studies on the lateral joints of the first and second cervical vertebrae in man

The articular surfaces of the lateral atlanto-axial joints in man were analyzed with respect to their biomechanical aspects. The joint surfaces were investigated macroscopically, and the texture of the tangential fiber layer of the articular cartilage was studied with the aid of the split-line method. Furthermore, the thickness of cartilage was measured. From the results obtained the authors draw the conclusion that especially the mode of rotational movement between C1 and C2 changes within a life time. As a consequence, the distribution of stress in the lateral atlanto-axial joint is modified.