Innervation of the zygapophyseal joints of the lumbar spine

Abstract

This study based on the examination of 200 joints points out the great interindividual variability concerning the innervation of the posterior or zygapophyseal articulations of the lumbar spine. Furthermore, their innervation varies in a given individual according to the level and the side of the spine under consideration. The nerves supplying these joints are of multiple origins. The zygapophyseal articulations receive their innervation by the anterior, lateral or posterior aspect. Rather than following a strictly metameric pattern, such nerve supply involves at least three spinal levels.