Gabriel Radu, DO · Physical Medicine & Rehabilitation · Pain Management

Anatomy Explorer

Real figures from the medical literature — 34 images, every single one from a peer-reviewed journal article (via PubMed Central), explained in plain language.

🦴 The spine, layer by layer

Vertebrae, discs, facet joints, and the canal that carries the nerves — the architecture behind almost every pain problem on this site.

The spinal column and the parts of a single vertebra — from a cervical disc-replacement planning study.
The spinal column and the parts of a single vertebra — from a cervical disc-replacement planning study.
BMC bioinformatics · CC BY · journal figure via PubMed Central / NIH Open-i · source ↗
A cross-section of the spinal canal from a review of the epidural space: the disc in front, the nerve elements
A cross-section of the spinal canal from a review of the epidural space: the disc in front, the nerve elements behind, and the epidural compartment — where epidural medication spreads — outermost.
Cureus · CC BY · journal figure via PubMed Central / NIH Open-i · source ↗
The multifidus — the deep stabilizing muscle we retrain with bird-dogs and dead bugs — drawn fascicle by fasci
The multifidus — the deep stabilizing muscle we retrain with bird-dogs and dead bugs — drawn fascicle by fascicle at the L5 level, from a rehabilitation-medicine study of back-muscle wasting.
Annals of rehabilitation medicine · CC BY · journal figure via PubMed Central / NIH Open-i · source ↗
The sacral canal in profile: the natural opening at the tailbone end of the spine (sacral hiatus) is the doorw
The sacral canal in profile: the natural opening at the tailbone end of the spine (sacral hiatus) is the doorway a caudal epidural uses.
BioMed Research International · CC BY · journal figure via PubMed Central / NIH Open-i · source ↗
Why cervical injections are done under precise image guidance: small arteries weave right beside the neck’s ne
Why cervical injections are done under precise image guidance: small arteries weave right beside the neck’s nerve roots — mapped in an ultrasound study of injection safety.
Annals of Rehabilitation Medicine · CC BY · journal figure via PubMed Central / NIH Open-i · source ↗

⚡ Nerves: the body’s wiring

Why a neck problem tingles fingers and a back problem burns down a leg: nerves have territories, and pain follows the map.

How ultrasound sees the brachial plexus during a nerve block: the nerve cluster sits in its sheath above the f
How ultrasound sees the brachial plexus during a nerve block: the nerve cluster sits in its sheath above the first rib, beside the subclavian artery — from an anesthesiology technique paper.
Korean journal of anesthesiology · CC BY · journal figure via PubMed Central / NIH Open-i · source ↗
The brachial plexus emerging between the scalene muscles and diving under the clavicle — the crowded corridor
The brachial plexus emerging between the scalene muscles and diving under the clavicle — the crowded corridor behind thoracic outlet syndrome, from an orthopedic surgical review.
Clinics in orthopedic surgery · CC BY · journal figure via PubMed Central / NIH Open-i · source ↗
Two published maps of the same leg dermatome — even the textbooks disagree slightly, which is why your exam ma
Two published maps of the same leg dermatome — even the textbooks disagree slightly, which is why your exam matters more than any chart.
Frontiers in human neuroscience · CC BY · journal figure via PubMed Central / NIH Open-i · source ↗
The median nerve’s branch at the carpal tunnel takes different routes in different people — from a systematic
The median nerve’s branch at the carpal tunnel takes different routes in different people — from a systematic review of carpal-tunnel anatomy.
PloS one · CC BY · journal figure via PubMed Central / NIH Open-i · source ↗
The deep pelvis and gluteal region in one plate: the sciatic and pudendal nerves threading past the piriformis
The deep pelvis and gluteal region in one plate: the sciatic and pudendal nerves threading past the piriformis muscle and the pelvic ligaments.
Journal of the Korean Society of Coloproctology · CC BY · journal figure via PubMed Central / NIH Open-i · source ↗
The tibial nerve’s branches behind the ankle — medial and lateral plantar nerves and the small calcaneal branc
The tibial nerve’s branches behind the ankle — medial and lateral plantar nerves and the small calcaneal branches — mapped in a tarsal-tunnel anatomy study of heel pain.
Annals of rehabilitation medicine · CC BY · journal figure via PubMed Central / NIH Open-i · source ↗

💪 Shoulder & arm

The shoulder trades stability for motion — these are the structures that pay the price.

A full-thickness rotator cuff tear on ultrasound: the gap in the tendon is visible right at its anchor on the
A full-thickness rotator cuff tear on ultrasound: the gap in the tendon is visible right at its anchor on the humerus.
F1000Research · CC BY · journal figure via PubMed Central / NIH Open-i · source ↗
A retracted supraspinatus tendon on ultrasound (arrow) — the same bedside view used to guide shoulder injectio
A retracted supraspinatus tendon on ultrasound (arrow) — the same bedside view used to guide shoulder injections.
International journal of shoulder surgery · CC BY · journal figure via PubMed Central / NIH Open-i · source ↗
The median nerve measured on ultrasound at the wrist — swelling of its cross-section supports carpal tunnel sy
The median nerve measured on ultrasound at the wrist — swelling of its cross-section supports carpal tunnel syndrome.
PloS one · CC BY · journal figure via PubMed Central / NIH Open-i · source ↗

🦵 Hip, knee & foot

The weight-bearing chain: where cartilage wears, tendons strain, and ligaments hold everything together.

The sacroiliac joint’s ear-shaped articular surface (highlighted) — from a focused review of interventional tr
The sacroiliac joint’s ear-shaped articular surface (highlighted) — from a focused review of interventional treatments for low back pain.
Anesthesiology and pain medicine · CC BY · journal figure via PubMed Central / NIH Open-i · source ↗
The posterior lumbopelvic region: the sacroiliac joint and the criss-crossing ligaments and muscle slings that
The posterior lumbopelvic region: the sacroiliac joint and the criss-crossing ligaments and muscle slings that transfer load from spine to legs.
Arthritis · CC BY · journal figure via PubMed Central / NIH Open-i · source ↗
The obturator nerve coursing through the inner-thigh muscles — one of the deep nerves evaluated in groin and i
The obturator nerve coursing through the inner-thigh muscles — one of the deep nerves evaluated in groin and inner-knee pain, from an ultrasound nerve-block review.
BioMed Research International · CC BY · journal figure via PubMed Central / NIH Open-i · source ↗
The knee’s menisci and their root attachments rendered from a quantitative anatomy study — the shock absorbers
The knee’s menisci and their root attachments rendered from a quantitative anatomy study — the shock absorbers procedures try to preserve.
Journal of experimental orthopaedics · CC BY · journal figure via PubMed Central / NIH Open-i · source ↗
A real look inside the knee: the menisci, their attachment points, and the cruciate ligaments labeled on a cad
A real look inside the knee: the menisci, their attachment points, and the cruciate ligaments labeled on a cadaveric tibial plateau.
Orthopedic reviews · CC BY · journal figure via PubMed Central / NIH Open-i · source ↗
Hip osteoarthritis on X-ray: arrows mark where the cartilage space has narrowed and the bone has remodeled.
Hip osteoarthritis on X-ray: arrows mark where the cartilage space has narrowed and the bone has remodeled.
The open rheumatology journal · CC BY · journal figure via PubMed Central / NIH Open-i · source ↗

🩻 What your imaging actually shows

Real MRI, X-ray, ultrasound and fluoroscopy images — from open-access medical journals — of the conditions and procedures described on this site. This is what your own reports are describing.

A herniated disc on MRI: side and cross-section views show disc material pressing into the nerve canal.
A herniated disc on MRI: side and cross-section views show disc material pressing into the nerve canal.
Asian Spine Journal · CC BY · journal figure via PubMed Central / NIH Open-i · source ↗
An axial (top-down) MRI close-up of a lumbar disc herniation reaching toward the nerve root.
An axial (top-down) MRI close-up of a lumbar disc herniation reaching toward the nerve root.
Open access Macedonian journal of medical sciences · CC BY · journal figure via PubMed Central / NIH Open-i · source ↗
Spinal stenosis on MRI: arrows mark the levels where the canal pinches narrow.
Spinal stenosis on MRI: arrows mark the levels where the canal pinches narrow.
Journal of Korean Neurosurgical Society · CC BY · journal figure via PubMed Central / NIH Open-i · source ↗
A top-down MRI of a stenotic lumbar canal — the classic trefoil narrowing.
A top-down MRI of a stenotic lumbar canal — the classic trefoil narrowing.
Asian spine journal · CC BY · journal figure via PubMed Central / NIH Open-i · source ↗
The neck on MRI: the spinal cord is the bright central column — narrowing or pressure on it shows up immediate
The neck on MRI: the spinal cord is the bright central column — narrowing or pressure on it shows up immediately.
Case reports in medicine · CC BY · journal figure via PubMed Central / NIH Open-i · source ↗
A sagittal cervical MRI with the level of cord compression arrowed.
A sagittal cervical MRI with the level of cord compression arrowed.
Journal of Korean Neurosurgical Society · CC BY · journal figure via PubMed Central / NIH Open-i · source ↗
How vertebroplasty and kyphoplasty differ: cement alone, versus a balloon that restores height before the ceme
How vertebroplasty and kyphoplasty differ: cement alone, versus a balloon that restores height before the cement goes in — from a journal review of vertebral augmentation.
International journal of nanomedicine · CC BY · journal figure via PubMed Central / NIH Open-i · source ↗
Kyphoplasty under live X-ray: the balloon and cement seen during the actual procedure.
Kyphoplasty under live X-ray: the balloon and cement seen during the actual procedure.
Clinics in orthopedic surgery · CC BY · journal figure via PubMed Central / NIH Open-i · source ↗
An epidural steroid injection under fluoroscopy: contrast dye confirms exactly where the medicine will spread
An epidural steroid injection under fluoroscopy: contrast dye confirms exactly where the medicine will spread before it is injected.
The Korean journal of pain · CC BY · journal figure via PubMed Central / NIH Open-i · source ↗
Epidural contrast spread on fluoroscopy with the vessels checked by angiography — the safety steps behind ever
Epidural contrast spread on fluoroscopy with the vessels checked by angiography — the safety steps behind every image-guided epidural.
The Korean journal of pain · CC BY · journal figure via PubMed Central / NIH Open-i · source ↗
Spinal cord stimulator leads on X-ray: two thin electrodes lying along the canal, exactly as placed in a trial
Spinal cord stimulator leads on X-ray: two thin electrodes lying along the canal, exactly as placed in a trial.
Case reports in medicine · CC BY · journal figure via PubMed Central / NIH Open-i · source ↗
Front and side X-rays of spinal cord stimulator leads in their final position.
Front and side X-rays of spinal cord stimulator leads in their final position.
Journal of pain research · CC BY · journal figure via PubMed Central / NIH Open-i · source ↗
A thickened plantar fascia on ultrasound (PF), anchored at the heel bone (CALC).
A thickened plantar fascia on ultrasound (PF), anchored at the heel bone (CALC).
Journal of foot and ankle research · CC BY · journal figure via PubMed Central / NIH Open-i · source ↗
Achilles tendinopathy on Doppler ultrasound: new blood vessels (color) growing into the sore tendon — a hallma
Achilles tendinopathy on Doppler ultrasound: new blood vessels (color) growing into the sore tendon — a hallmark of tendinosis.
EFORT Open Reviews · CC BY · journal figure via PubMed Central / NIH Open-i · source ↗
Want the guided version? The Pain Care page walks these structures step-by-step through each procedure, and the Conditions page connects them to your diagnosis and exercise plan.
This page is educational material only and is not medical advice, a diagnosis, or a treatment recommendation. Illustrations are simplified artistic renderings; photos and exercise videos are AI-generated demonstrations. Evidence summaries are simplified — read the linked studies for details. Your own plan always comes from your physician. In an emergency, call 911. Every figure on this page is reproduced from a peer-reviewed, open-access journal article under its original license (CC BY or CC BY-NC) with credit; follow each source link to read the original article. Figures retrieved from PubMed Central via the NIH Open-i service.