Meningovertebral ligaments and their putative significance in low back pain.

Objective: To determine the presence and morphology of the meningovertebral ligaments (ligaments of Hofmann) as well as postulate their possible contribution to low back pain.

Design: Sagittal dissections were performed on 12 embalmed cadaver specimens including the L5/S1 intervertebral level cephalad to T1. Meningovertebral ligaments were labeled and documented in both the lumbar and thoracic regions.