Analysis of the Relationship Between Facet Joint Angle Orientation and Lumbar Spine Canal Diameter With Respect to the Kinematics of the Lumbar Spinal Unit

Abstract

We demonstrated the relationship among facet orientation, osseous canal diameter, kinematics of a spinal unit, and change in lumbar spine canal diameter. Patients with sagittally oriented facets had narrow osseous canals with mobility, whereas those with coronally oriented facets had stable and wider osseous canals. This finding is helpful in understanding the mechanism underlying lumbar spinal canal stenosis and degenerative spondylolisthesis.