What Are Spinal Ligaments?

The supraspinous ligament starts from the occipital protuberance, ends at the fifth lumbar spinous process, and is attached to the surface of the spinous process. Aged calcification can make it as hard as bone, making puncture difficult.

The supraspinous ligament starts from the occipital protuberance, ends at the fifth lumbar spinous process, and is attached to the surface of the spinous process. Aged calcification can make it as hard as bone, making puncture difficult.

Chinese name

Supraspinous ligament

Foreign name

supraspinal ligament

Department

On the tip of the spinous process of each vertebra

Organization

Cord fibrocartilage

Overview of the superior spinous ligament

Starting from the spinous process of the seventh cervical vertebra, it moves upward to the ligament of the neck and attaches to the tip of the spinous process of each vertebra, and the anterior and interspinous ligaments fuse; the waist is strong and the chest is weak. The lowermost end is at 4 lumbar vertebrae or 5 spinous processes of lumbar vertebrae, and there is no superior spinous ligament at the spinal process space at 4.5 lumbar vertebrae and 5. The supraspinous ligament of the lumbar region is a superficial fibrous band-like tendonous tissue. The deep fibers are connected to the spinous processes. The superficial fibers span 3 to 4 segments and are connected to the interspinous ligament and the sacroiliac tendon fibers from the spinous processes. The superficial fibers have good elasticity. The supraspinous ligament restricts spinal forward flexion.

A slender and tough ligament from top to bottom along the spinous process tip is called the supraspinous ligament. This ligament starts from the spinous process of the 7th cervical vertebra, stops at the medial condyle, moves the superior ligament upward, the lateral and back aponeurosis continues, and the anterior and interspinous ligaments heal. The width and thickness of each part are different, the waist is wide and thick, and the chest is thin. The superficial layer of the ligament can pass over 3 to 4 spinous processes of the vertebrae; the middle layer can pass over 2 to 3 spines; the deep layer only connects between the adjacent 2 spinous processes. When the spine is flexed, the supraspinous ligament located in the chest is partly tense and relaxed when stretched. Severe sudden excessive forward flexion can damage this ligament.

Interspinous ligament: The interspinous ligament is a weaker ligament that connects the upper and lower spinous processes. The anterior ligament connects the yellow ligament. The ligament connecting the spinous processes of two adjacent spines is called interspinous ligament. This ligament is thin, connecting the spinous process from the root to the apex, and is connected between two adjacent spinous processes. The anterior and intervertebral ligaments heal, and the posterior transition to the supraspinous ligament. The interspinous ligament is wide and thick at the waist, square, the thoracic spine is narrow and long, and the cervical spine is weak. Its function is to strengthen the intervertebral firmness and limit excessive spinal flexion. Sudden excessive forward flexion of the spine can damage this ligament.

Superior spinous ligament anatomy

1. Interspinous ligament: The interspinous ligament is located between the spinous processes of two vertebrae, and is thin and membrane-like, interconnecting the spinous processes of two adjacent vertebrae. Continue the ligament ligament forward, and then travel backward to the supraspinous ligament. The interspinous ligament contains a small amount of elastic fibers. This ligament is often poorly developed in the cervical spine and is not very obvious; it is narrow and long in the thoracic spine; it is wide and thick in the lumbar spine and has a square shape. This ligament restricts the effect of spinal forward flexion.

2. The supraspinous ligament is the part of the interspinous ligament that moves backwards. It connects the longitudinal ligaments of the vertebral spinous process tips. It is slender and tough. The segment from the spinous process of the 7th cervical spine to the extraoccipital bulge expands into a ligament, which is mainly composed of elastic fibers. This ligament is well developed in tetrapods and has a role in supporting head weight. In humans, there has been a tendency to degenerate, mainly to the attachment of muscles. From the 7th cervical vertebra, it stops at the iliac crest along the tip of the spinous process of each vertebra. This ligament has various widths and thicknesses, and is wide and thick at the lumbar spine; the thoracic spine is a thin cord. The superficial fibers of the ligament can span the spinous processes of 3 to 4 vertebrae; the middle fibers span the 2 to 3 spinous processes of the vertebra; the deep fibers only connect between two adjacent spinous processes. This ligament can limit spinal flexion.

Diseases associated with superior spinal ligament and superior spinal ligament and their clinical treatment

1. Supraspinous ligamentitis: Chronic injury of the supraspinous ligament. Occurs at desk workers who bend over for a long time without paying attention to the working posture. It manifests as back pain or low back pain, and the pain points and tenderness are usually limited to a small point of the spinous process or the supraspinous ligament. Local closed therapy (injection of hydrocortisone acetate) or physical therapy have certain effects. This disease mainly depends on prevention, it is important to pay attention to avoid prolonged desk position.

[Overview] Supraspinal ligamentitis, commonly known as spinous processitis, is a clinically common disease. Mainly because of prolonged burial or bending down work, pay attention to the working posture and occur 3 ~ 4, 4 ~ 5 spinal ligamentitis of the chest, waist ligamentitis is more common after middle age.

[Diagnosis points] The patient complained of back or waist pain, and there was no obvious history of injury.

Examination of local redness and swelling, pain and tenderness are limited to the spinous process and the supraspinous ligament.

2. Spinal ligament injury: due to sudden excessive flexion of the spine, direct impact or repeated continuous flexion and stretching. According to the degree of injury, it can be divided into complete fracture and incomplete fracture; according to the onset of emergency, it can be divided into acute sting and chronic strain. The patients with complete rupture had local kyphosis, swelling, tenderness, and widened spinous process. Other types are only localized congestion and edema and local tenderness, which worsens when bending over. Acute rupture should be in bed for 4 to 6 weeks. Non-surgical treatment is ineffective, ligament reconstruction is feasible.

Supraspinous ligament injury refers to tearing or inflammatory degeneration and calcification of the supraspinous ligament due to trauma or strain. It is more common in young and middle-aged manual workers, and it is more common. When treatment is incomplete, it often delays into chronic strain, causing back pain.