The Lower Back Pain Toolkit
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Ligaments and Muscles
Ligaments
The bones, discs and joints are connected together and given excellent flexibility by tough bands of cartilage called ligaments. There are many ligaments in the spine. The diagram below shows some of them, I won't name them all but you can see that they pass between all the different parts of the vertebrae including the parts that stick out at the back and sides (the spinous and the transverse processes). A sleeve of ligamentous tissue, called the capsule, also surrounds each facet joint. This keeps each joint fully enclosed, adding extra support and protection.
Diagram of the spinal ligaments
Back Muscles
Back muscles play an important role in allowing your spine to do its job properly. They give the spine extra support and allow movement to take place.
There are many different muscles associated with the spine. Some are designed to add support and stability; others are designed to move the spine. There is a close relationship between these different types of muscles. Many people don’t realize that the muscles in your abdomen and pelvic floor also play an important role in giving the spine support. These muscles that add support are also often referred to as the ‘core’ muscles or ‘core stabilisers’.
If you imagine for a moment that your trunk is a cylinder. The roof of this cylinder is made up of the diaphragm, or breathing muscle, the floor is made up of the pelvic floor, (the muscle that stops you going to the toilet when you tighten it) and the walls of the cylinder are made up of the abdominal muscles. If the abdominal muscles and pelvic floor are strong and supportive they ‘stiffen’ the cylinder and give the spine good support.
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