Lower Back Pain »
What is the anatomy of the low back?
The first step to understanding the various causes of low back pain is learning about the normal
design (anatomy) of the tissues of this area. Important structures of the low
back that can be related to symptoms there include the bony lumbar spine (vertebrae,
singular = vertebra), discs
between the vertebrae, ligaments around the spine and discs, spinal cord and
nerves, muscles of the low back, internal organs of the pelvis and abdomen, and
the skin covering the lumbar area.
The bony lumbar spine is designed so that vertebrae "stacked" together can provide a movable support structure while also protecting the spinal cord from injury. The spinal cord is composed of nervous tissue that extends down the spinal column from the brain. Each vertebra has a spinous process, a bony prominence behind the spinal cord, which shields the cord's nervous tissue from impact trauma. Vertebrae also have a strong bony "body" (ver...
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