Ligament · Neck

Posterior longitudinal ligament

Ligamentum longitudinale posterius

The counterpart of the anterior longitudinal ligament, running down the back of the vertebral bodies inside the spinal canal. It limits the spine bending forward. It is narrower than its anterior twin — particularly in the lower back — which leaves the back corners of the discs comparatively unsupported, and this is part of why disc material tends to move backward and to the side rather than straight back.