Intertransversarii dorsales cervicis muscles

The intertransversarii musculi are small muscles that pass between transverse processes, between articular and transverse processes or between mamillary and transverse processes.

They are separable into different groups:

• Intertransversarii lumborum:
  • medial bundles run ventrocranially from mamillary processes to transverse (or accessory) processes
  • Lateral bundles run between transverse processes
• Intertransversarii thoracis: continuation of the medial lumbar group in the thoracic region
• Intertransversarii cervicis
  • Intertransversarii dorsales cervicis: bundles that run horizontally between cranial articular processes
  • Intertransversarii medii cervicis: bundles that run cranioventrally from a cranial articular process to the caudal end of the transverse process skipping one vertebra in a cranial direction (C5 to C3 for example)
  • Intertransversarii ventrales cervicis: bundles that run horizontally between caudal ends of two consecutive transverse processes

Origin: transverse processes, mamillary processes

Insertion: transverse processes, articular processes

Action: fixation and lateral flexion of the cervical and lumbar vertebral column

Nerve: Dorsal branches of the cervical, thoracic and lumbar nerves.