Which statement about weight-bearing function is true?

Which statement about weight-bearing function is true?

• A. Intervertebral discs carry load in standing
• B. Sacroiliac joints carry the weight of the upper body
• C. Spinous processes are the main load-bearing
• D. Facet joints bear most load during bending

Answer: (B)

Weight transfer in an upright body mostly follows a specific path: the load from the trunk travels down through the spine into the pelvis and then into the legs. The sacroiliac joints are the key link in this transfer, connecting the sacrum of the spine to the ilia of the pelvis and distributing the upper-body weight into the pelvic girdle. That makes the statement about the sacroiliac joints carrying the weight of the upper body the true reflection of weight-bearing function. Intervertebral discs do participate in conveying load between adjacent vertebrae, but the overall axial load in standing is transmitted through the vertebral bodies and discs together, with the pelvis and SI joints handling the transfer onward to the pelvis. Spinous processes mainly serve as muscle and ligament attachment points and do not bear significant axial load. Facet joints contribute to load sharing during bending, but they do not bear the majority of the axial weight.

Weight transfer in an upright body mostly follows a specific path: the load from the trunk travels down through the spine into the pelvis and then into the legs. The sacroiliac joints are the key link in this transfer, connecting the sacrum of the spine to the ilia of the pelvis and distributing the upper-body weight into the pelvic girdle. That makes the statement about the sacroiliac joints carrying the weight of the upper body the true reflection of weight-bearing function.

Intervertebral discs do participate in conveying load between adjacent vertebrae, but the overall axial load in standing is transmitted through the vertebral bodies and discs together, with the pelvis and SI joints handling the transfer onward to the pelvis. Spinous processes mainly serve as muscle and ligament attachment points and do not bear significant axial load. Facet joints contribute to load sharing during bending, but they do not bear the majority of the axial weight.