inferior articular process

The superior and inferior articular processes are well-defined, projecting respectively upward and downward from the junctions of pedicles and laminae.

The former are wider apart than the latter, since in the articulated column the inferior articular processes are embraced by the superior processes of the subjacent vertebra.

The inferior articular processes are fused to a considerable extent with the laminae, and project but slightly beyond their lower borders; their facets are directed forward and a little medialward and downward.

The transverse processes (la. processus transversus) of a vertebra, two in number, project one at either side from the point where the lamina joins the pedicle, between the superior and inferior articular processes.

The superior and inferior articular processes of cervical vertebrae have fused on either or both sides to form articular pillars, columns of bone that project laterally from the junction of the pedicle and lamina.

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.

The tubercles which represent the inferior articular processes of the fifth sacral vertebra are prolonged downward as rounded processes, which are named the sacral cornua, and are connected to the cornua of the coccyx.