STRUCTURES OF THE BACK: THE BONES OF THE SPINE- LIGAMENTS
The spine has three main functions:
• it is the main support of the whole skeleton
• it protects the vital and vulnerable spinal cord
• it provides attachment points for muscles.
Ligaments-Wherever two bones form a joint, the two ends are bound together by fibrous bands or fibrous sheets. These are called ligaments, and are very strong, mostly inelastic but with some ‘give’. The fibres of each ligament are aligned along the lines of force occurring at that joint, and control movement by allowing it only in a certain direction.
The ligaments of the vertebral column are of various types. The main ones are the longitudinal ligaments, long bands which run down the length of the spinal column, before and behind and to the sides of it. Other ones connect the processes of adjacent vertebrae, or connect the spine to other structures, such as the pelvis and the rib cage. The ligamentum flavum (yellow ligament) lines the back of the spinal canal, connecting the laminae of the arches; it is more elastic than other ligaments in the spine.
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