Ligament · Thoracic spine

Supraspinous ligament

Ligamentum supraspinale

A cord of fibres joining the tips of the spinous processes, running from the seventh cervical vertebra down to the sacrum; above that level it continues upward as the ligamentum nuchae. It is the most superficial of the spinal ligaments and the one furthest from the vertebral bodies, so it lies at the end of the longest lever the spine offers. It blends with the thoracolumbar fascia behind and with the interspinous ligaments beneath, and in the low back it is the tissue immediately under the fingers when the bumps of the spine are traced.