Alar ligament

Alar ligament
Membrana tectoria, transverse, and alar ligaments. Alar ligament labeled at center right
Details
From	Sides of the dens (on the axis, or the second cervical vertebra)
To	Tubercles on the medial side of the occipital condyle
Identifiers
Latin	ligamenta alaria
TA98	A03.2.04.002
TA2	1695
FMA	71395
Anatomical terminology [edit on Wikidata]

In anatomy, the alar ligaments are ligaments which connect the dens (a bony protrusion on the second cervical vertebra) to tubercles on the medial side of the occipital condyle.

They are short, tough, fibrous cords that attach on the skull and on the axis, and function to check side-to-side movements of the head when it is turned. Because of their function, the alar ligaments are also known as the "check ligaments of the odontoid".