Joint · Thoracic spine
Thoracic facet joints
Articulationes zygapophysiales thoracicae
Reviewed by Dr. Ryan Rietz, D.P.T. and Dr. John Breyman, D.C.
The paired synovial joints at the back of the mid spine. Their surfaces sit almost vertically, in a near-frontal plane, which favours rotation and side-bending and limits forward and backward bending. The ribs attach at every level here, so the thoracic spine is the least mobile part of the spine by design — it is built to protect the heart and lungs and to give the shoulder blades a stable base. When it stops rotating well, the neck, the shoulders and the low back tend to take up the slack.
Also known as
- thoracic zygapophyseal joints
- mid back joints
- upper back joints
- thoracic z-joints