The cervical ligamentum flavum connects adjacent laminae throughout the cervical spine, forming the posterior spinal canal wall and resisting flexion at each segment. Its high elastin content prevents buckling into the canal during extension. Cervical ligamentum flavum hypertrophy is less common than in the lumbar spine but contributes to cervical spondylotic myelopathy when combined with disc osteophyte complexes anteriorly.
| Origin | Anterior surface of the lamina of each cervical vertebra |
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| Insertion | Upper border and posterior surface of the lamina below |
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Elastically resists cervical flexion and keeps the posterior spinal canal wall smooth during extension.
With degeneration the cervical ligamentum flavum thickens and buckles into the canal during extension, which together with disc-osteophyte complexes in front produces dynamic cervical spondylotic myelopathy. Laminectomy or laminoplasty removes or shifts the ligament with the laminae to decompress the cord. Ossification of the posterior longitudinal ligament and ossification of the ligamentum flavum are more common in East Asian populations; ossification of the ligamentum flavum is most frequent in the thoracic spine but also occurs cervically.
Ectopic bone formation causing posterior cervical canal narrowing and myelopathy, requiring laminoplasty or laminectomy and fusion for cord decompression.
Thickening and inward buckling of the ligament during extension narrowing the canal and contributing to dynamic myelopathy.
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