Animals Practice Test 2026 – Comprehensive Exam Prep

The first segment with coupled motion is the joint between the second and third cervical vertebrae. At the skull-C1 junction the movement is mainly nodding with little rotation, and at the C1-C2 joint the motion is dominated by rotation with little lateral bending. Once you move to C2-C3, the facet orientation allows rotation to occur together with lateral flexion, so coupled motion first appears there.