Lumbar arteries

The lumbar arteries (Latin: arteriae lumbales) are usually four pairs of vessels arising from the posterior side of the abdominal aorta. These arteries run in a parallel manner to the intercostal arteries and participate in supplying muscles of the posterior abdominal wall and the spinal cord.

The lumbar arteries travel in a lateral and posterior direction and pass the bodies of the lumbar vertebrae. Then the vessels continue in a lateral direction, passing posteriorly to the sympathetic trunks and between the transverse processes of the adjacent lumbar vertebrae.

These arteries reach the abdominal wall, where they divide into smaller branches. The lumbar arteries with their branches supply the quadratus lumborum muscle. They also provide segmental branches to supply the spinal cord.