Ligaments associated with lumbar intervertebral foramina.

Abstract

The intervertebral foramina, aptly described by Hadley (1949) as being at the crossroads between the peripheral nervous system and the movable skeletal support, transmit the spinal nerves, spinal arteries and veins, the recurrent meningeal nerves and lymphatics. Reports of studies of the aetiology of low back pain suggest that pressure on the emerging spinal nerve or other contents of the foramen in the lumbar region could be an important source of low back pain and sciatica. Adequacy of space within the foramen with respect to the foraminal contents is therefore of serious import. The intervertebral foramen differs from other osseous foramina in having as part of its boundaries two movable joints, namely the intervertebral joint anteriorly and the joint between the articular processes (zygapophyseal joint) posteriorly. Normal spinal movements therefore, cause changes in the size of the foramen. Evidence brought by Hadley (1949), Payne & Spillane (1957), Sunderland (1980), Rothman & Simeone (1982) and Crelin (1982) suggests that the foramen undergoes narrowing or widening depending on the movement performed.