Abstract
The ligaments interplay with the intervertebral disc, the role of the brake in the mobile segment of Junghanns. The ligaments of the suboccipital region form a complex ligamentous system whose main purpose is to stabilize the odontoid process behind the anterior arch of the atlas. At the lower cervical level, the posterior longitudinal ligament is made of two layers, anterior median and posterior lateral; all ligamentous structures are torn in severe sprains. At the thoracic level, there is a whole set of specific ligaments that aim to tether the ribs to the vertebral bodies. At the lumbar level the anatomy of the posterior longitudinal ligament largely explains the topography of disc herniations, the role of the ligamentum flavum and its involvement in the narrow lumbar canal. Peri-radicular, foraminal and extra-spinal ligaments are also described to further understand radicular compressive pathologies.
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Vital, J.M. (2020). The Spinal Ligaments. In: Vital, J., Cawley, D. (eds) Spinal Anatomy . Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-20925-4_16
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