Dorsal ramus of spinal nerve

The **dorsal ramus of spinal nerve** is the posterior division of a spinal nerve. After the spinal nerve forms from dorsal and ventral roots, it splits into the dorsal (posterior) and ventral (anterior) rami. The dorsal ramus provides motor innervation to the deep (intrinsic) muscles of the back, and sensory innervation to the skin of the posterior head, neck, and back. It typically branches into medial and lateral branches, with the medial branch innervating muscles and joints near the midline (like multifidus and zygapophyseal joints), and the lateral branch innervating muscles and skin further out[1][2][3][6]. It is not a classical therapeutic target in molecular biology or pharmacology, but it is sometimes the anatomical target for nerve block procedures in pain management and back surgery[5].

Other names

Posterior ramus of spinal nervePosterior primary division