The supraspinous ligament, also known as the supraspinal ligament, is a ligament found along the

vertebral column The vertebral column, also known as the backbone or spine, is part of the axial skeleton. The vertebral column is the defining characteristic of a vertebrate in which the notochord (a flexible rod of uniform composition) found in all chordate ...

Structure

The supraspinous ligament connects the tips of the

spinous process The spinal column, a defining synapomorphy shared by nearly all vertebrates, Hagfish are believed to have secondarily lost their spinal column is a moderately flexible series of vertebrae (singular vertebra), each constituting a characteristic ...

es from the seventh

cervical vertebra In tetrapods, cervical vertebrae (singular: vertebra) are the vertebrae of the neck, immediately below the skull. Truncal vertebrae (divided into thoracic and lumbar vertebrae in mammals) lie caudal (toward the tail) of cervical vertebrae. In sa ...

to the sacrum. Above the seventh cervical vertebra, the supraspinous ligament is continuous with the

nuchal ligament The nuchal ligament is a ligament at the back of the neck that is continuous with the supraspinous ligament. Structure The nuchal ligament extends from the external occipital protuberance on the skull and median nuchal line to the spinous proc ...

Between the spinous processes it is continuous with the

interspinous ligaments The interspinous ligaments (interspinal ligaments) are thin and membranous ligaments, that connect adjoining spinous processes of the vertebra in the spine. They extend from the root to the apex of each spinous process. They meet the ligamenta fl ...

. It is thicker and broader in the lumbar than in the thoracic region, and intimately blended, in both situations, with the neighboring fascia. The most superficial fibers of this ligament extend over three or four vertebrae; those more deeply seated pass between two or three vertebrae while the deepest connect the spinous processes of neighboring vertebrae.

Development

Function

The supraspinous ligament, along with the posterior longitudinal ligament, interspinous ligaments and ligamentum flavum, help to limit hyperflexion of the vertebral column.

Clinical significance

Lesions to the supraspinous ligament may result in

palpable Palpation is the process of using one's hands to check the body, especially while perceiving/diagnosing a disease or illness. Usually performed by a health care practitioner, it is the process of feeling an object in or on the body to determin ...

thickening A thickening agent or thickener is a substance which can increase the viscosity of a liquid without substantially changing its other properties. Edible thickeners are commonly used to thicken sauces, soups, and puddings without altering thei ...

. Ultrasound is effective for detecting lesions. A strain injury can also damage the supraspinous ligament. The supraspinous ligament creates resistance during midline epidural anaesthetics when the needle is being inserted. This increased resistance needs to be taken into account, and is one of the first subcutaneous tissues.

References

{{Authority control Ligaments of the torso Bones of the vertebral column Ligaments

Structure

Development

Function

Clinical significance

See also

References