ISSN 2326-7275
International Journal of Anatomy and Physiology | Vol. 15, No. 11, November 2026 | pp. 1–8
DOI: 10.46882/2026/IJAP/001023
Review
Title: Can Mechanical Loading of the Spinal Dura Influence Cerebrospinal Fluid Movement?
Names of Authors: John Sharkey¹*
Authors’ Affiliations:
¹Irish College of Osteopathic Medicine, National Training Centre, Dublin, Ireland. E-mail: [email protected] | ORCID: 0000-0001-6947-3170.
Abstract:
During a fresh human cadaver dissection around 2002, the spinal dura was opened along its length. Light hand pressure over the sacrum produced a visible wave that travelled cranially through fluid in the exposed canal. No pressure, displacement or flow was measured. Opening the dura also changed the conditions that govern fluid movement in life. The observation therefore raises a question; it cannot answer it. At the upper end of the canal, anatomical studies have traced connective tissue from the suboccipital muscles to the cervical dura. Fibres from the nuchal ligament also reach the dura at C1–C2. Their continuity offers a plausible route by which movement could alter the dural boundary, but the size of any effect during life remains unknown. This hypothesis-led mini-review examines that anatomy alongside measurements of cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) movement and proposes experiments with the dural sac intact, including simultaneous recording of respiration, pulse and pressure. In the anatomical study considered here, Zheng and colleagues examined 30 human head and neck specimens: 20 by dissection and ten as P45 plastinated sections. They identified a dense band within the nuchal ligament, which they called the “to be named ligament.” That study did not measure cerebrospinal fluid flow.
Keywords: Myodural bridge, rectus capitis posterior minor, rectus capitis posterior major, vertebrodural ligament, cerebrospinal fluid, craniosacral therapy, fascia.
Abbreviations: CSF, cerebrospinal fluid; OCI, obliquus capitis inferior; RCPma, rectus capitis posterior major; RCPmi, rectus capitis posterior minor; TBNL, to be named ligament; VDL, vertebrodural ligament.
Manuscript Timeline: Received: October 06, 2026; Revised: October 26, 2026; Accepted: November 01, 2026; Published: November 12, 2026.
Citation: Sharkey J. Can Mechanical Loading of the Spinal Dura Influence Cerebrospinal Fluid Movement? International Journal of Anatomy and Physiology. 2026; 15(11): 1–8. doi:10.46882/2026/IJAP/001023