Interspinous ligament

Interspinous ligament
Median sagittal section of two lumbar vertebrae and their ligaments (interspinous ligament visible at center right)
Details
FromSpinous process of vertebra
ToSpinous process of vertebra
Identifiers
Latinligamenta interspinalia
TA98A03.2.01.002
TA21674
FMA71392
Anatomical terminology

The interspinous ligaments (interspinal ligaments) are thin, membranous ligaments that connect adjoining spinous processes of the vertebra in the spine.[1][2] They take the form of relatively weak sheets of fibrous tissue and are well developed only in the lumbar region.[3]

They extend from the root to the apex of each spinous process. They meet the ligamenta flava anteriorly,[4][better source needed] and blend with the supraspinous ligament[3] posteriorly at the apexes of the spinal processes. The function of the interspinous ligaments is to limit ventral flexion of the spine and sliding movement of the vertebrae.[5]

The ligaments are narrow and elongated in the thoracic region. They are broader, thicker, and quadrilateral in form in the lumbar region. They are only slightly developed in the neck;[1] in the neck, they are often considered part of the nuchal ligament.[4][better source needed]

References

Public domain This article incorporates text in the public domain from page 291 of the 20th edition of Gray's Anatomy (1918)

  1. ^ a b "Gray, Henry. 1918. Anatomy of the Human Body". Bartleby.com. Retrieved 30 March 2013.
  2. ^ "interspinal ligament". Merriam-Webster. Retrieved 30 March 2013.
  3. ^ a b Sinnatamby C (2011). Last's Anatomy (12th ed.). Elsevier Australia. p. 424. ISBN 978-0-7295-3752-0.
  4. ^ a b "Interspinous ligaments". AnatomyExpert. Archived from the original on 22 July 2013. Retrieved 30 March 2013.
  5. ^ Sobotta Anatomy Textbook. Friedrich Paulsen, Tobias M. Böckers, J. Waschke, Stephan Winkler, Katja Dalkowski, Jörg Mair, Sonja Klebe, Elsevier ClinicalKey. Munich. 2018. p. 120. ISBN 978-0-7020-6760-0. OCLC 1132300315.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link) CS1 maint: others (link)



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