spinale

Spinale is an Italian adjective used in anatomy and medicine to indicate a relationship to the spine or to the spinal cord. It derives from Latin spinalis, and its use is common in Italian medical terminology, forming terms such as midollo spinale or anestesia spinale.

In anatomical usage, the spine (colonna vertebrale) protects and encases the spinal cord, which runs within the vertebral canal from the medulla oblongata down to around the level of L1–L2 in adults, where it terminates as the conus medullaris. The spinal cord gives rise to spinal nerves (nerve spinali) that exit the vertebral column through the intervertebral foramina and branch into roots and ganglia. The body is organized into regions corresponding to the spinal levels: cervical, thoracic, lumbar, sacral, and coccygeal.

Clinically, the term spinale appears in several common procedures and conditions. Lesione del midollo spinale refers to spinal cord injury, with potential motor and sensory deficits below the injury level. Anestesia spinale, or spinal anesthesia, involves injecting anesthetic into the subarachnoid space to achieve regional anesthesia. Puntura spinale (spinal puncture) and puntura lombare (lumbar puncture) access cerebrospinal fluid for diagnostic or therapeutic purposes. Spinal terminology distinguishes the spinal cord from the brain and from the spinal column, yet both are intimately connected in function and clinical assessment.

Overall, spinale functions as a key linguistic marker for structures, procedures, and pathologies related to the spine and spinal cord in Italian medical language. See also colonna vertebrale, midollo spinale, nervi spinali.