Zygapophyseal joints
Articulationes zygapophysiales
- Synonym: Facet joints; Z-joints
- Related terms: Zygapophysial joints
Definition
A zygapophysial joint (zygapophyseal, apophyseal, Z-joint, or facet joint) is a synovial joint between the superior articular process of one vertebra and the inferior articular process of the vertebra directly above it.
References
This definition incorporates text from a public domain edition of Gray's Anatomy (20th U.S. edition of Gray's Anatomy of the Human Body, published in 1918 – from http://www.bartleby.com/107/).
![Zygapophyseal joints - Radiography spine - Cervical vertebrae [C I-C VII] - e-Anatomy](https://cdn.imaios.cn/i/imaios-images/web/images/eanatomy/modules/rachis-radios/images/v1/43d8087e0b25f7b92bb2a07cecb2b0c9ff0a7c48aed94275bfc08acbe3061fd8?ar=640:670&auto=format,compress&bg=000000&fit=crop&p64=Mjk1LDMwOA&t=WnlnYXBvcGh5c2VhbCBqb2ludHM&tx=295&ty=308&w=200&wk=1&s=91bc2e01b8812c35485b2e28a8b7a891 "Zygapophyseal joints - Radiography spine - Cervical vertebrae [C I-C VII] - e-Anatomy")
![Zygapophyseal joints - Radiography spine - Thoracic vertebrae [TI-TXII] - e-Anatomy](https://cdn.imaios.cn/i/imaios-images/web/images/eanatomy/modules/rachis-radios/images/v1/22e17148fcdadff0cfaef81af948480a95c50f27d495bdcc9820db0eb51da59a?ar=640:670&auto=format,compress&bg=000000&fit=crop&p64=MzQyLDUxNQ&t=WnlnYXBvcGh5c2VhbCBqb2ludHM&tx=342&ty=515&w=200&wk=1&s=54b3953f321d739bb18ba5624409ec45 "Zygapophyseal joints - Radiography spine - Thoracic vertebrae [TI-TXII] - e-Anatomy")
![Zygapophyseal joints - Radiography spine - Lumbar vertebrae [LI-LV] - e-Anatomy](https://cdn.imaios.cn/i/imaios-images/web/images/eanatomy/modules/rachis-radios/images/v1/a5cdab94fbc84fd6aaa9f31b97fe273d38b955a2461cb7f7f318d8164d04e327?ar=640:670&auto=format,compress&bg=000000&fit=crop&p64=MjUyLDM1Mg&t=WnlnYXBvcGh5c2VhbCBqb2ludHM&tx=252&ty=352&w=200&wk=1&s=4105dfa839549cdabef8cd3699931ce1 "Zygapophyseal joints - Radiography spine - Lumbar vertebrae [LI-LV] - e-Anatomy")
