The bones of the spine would not be able to move or even hold themselves upright without

the muscles and ligaments that surround them. Attached to all the bones and disks in the spine are
long, cordlike structures called ligaments. Not as hard as bone but not as soft as muscle, these bands
of connective tissue come in almost every size.
The ligaments have several important functions. They provide support for the spine from the
head down to the tip of the tailbone, holding disks and bones and muscles in their proper places. Their
main function is to hold the bones together, allowing bending, twisting, and other movements to occur
within safe ranges. Because ligaments are elastic have the ability to stretch a little but not too much,
they are perfectly suited for this task. The ligaments also play a major role in posture. When they
main- tain their normal length and flexibility, they support the bones of the spine, keeping them in
good positions. With poor postural habits, however, the ligaments on one side of your spine can be
overstretched. Over time, probably months or years, the result is poor posture. Poor posture, in turn,
can cause the ligaments to ache. Indeed, back or neck pain that cannot be attributed to a specific
accident or injury is often a sign that poor posture is taking a toll on the ligaments. The ligaments,
when sprained or torm, take a long time to heal because of their poor blood supply.
Muscles are cordlike structures that are even more elasticthan ligaments. Like ligaments,
muscles can stretch; unlike the ligaments, muscles also have the ability to contract, or shorten. How
do muscles work? Basically, when you want to move, your brain sends a message through the nerves
to the correct muscle. When the message gets to the muscle, chemicals inside the muscle cause the
muscle to shorten. Because the muscle is attached to the bone, this shortening pulls on the bone. If the
strength of this shortening is strong enough, the bone, and therefore the body, moves.
Your spine and the related structures benefit from movements that place acceptable levels of
stress on them. Proper exercises can thicken, stretch, and build the endur- ance of your back. On the
other hand, problems appear when people have overdone or overused their back and this has fatigued
or injured certain spinal tissues.