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Lumbar spine
Five large vertebrae, their discs and facet joints — the segment that carries the most load and generates the most worry.
Latin name: Vertebrae lumbales. In plain English, the five vertebrae of the lower back. It is filed here under joints, tendons and fascia.
Reference information, not a diagnosis. Where a symptom is described below, it is there so you can describe your own more precisely to a clinician — not so you can name what you have.
Where it is
The lumbar vertebrae are the largest in the mobile spine, because they carry the most weight. Between the bodies sit the intervertebral discs, each with a tough outer ring of fibres, the annulus fibrosus, around a soft, water-rich centre, the nucleus pulposus. Behind, paired facet joints guide movement; their orientation in the lumbar region permits bending forward and backward while sharply limiting rotation.
The spinal cord itself normally ends around the first or second lumbar vertebra. Below that the canal contains only the nerve roots of the cauda equina, which is why a lumbar puncture is performed low in the back and why compression at that level produces a distinctive pattern of symptoms.
| Feature | Detail |
|---|---|
| Bones | Five lumbar vertebrae, L1 to L5, with large kidney-shaped bodies |
| Joints | Intervertebral discs in front and paired facet (zygapophysial) joints behind at each level |
| Nerve content | The spinal cord usually ends around L1-L2; below that the canal contains the cauda equina, the bundle of nerve roots |
| Main movements | Flexion and extension freely, side flexion moderately, rotation only slightly because the facet joints face largely front-to-back |
What it does
It carries load, allows bending, and protects nerves. Discs are living structures that lose water content with age and change on scans in almost everyone over forty — including people with no pain at all. Imaging findings such as disc bulges, degeneration and annular fissures are common in people without symptoms, which is why guidelines discourage routine scans for uncomplicated back pain and why a report can frighten more than it informs.
Most back pain has no single identifiable structure to blame and is labelled non-specific. It is usually not dangerous, it usually improves, and staying active is the best-supported advice in every major guideline. When pain does travel down the leg past the knee with numbness or weakness, a nerve root is likely involved — most often at L4-L5 or L5-S1 — and that changes the assessment.
Movements that load it
| Exercise | Category | Muscles the exercise library lists |
|---|---|---|
| Deadlift | Strength | Hamstrings, glutes, back, grip |
| Barbell back squat | Strength | Quads, glutes, core, back |
| Kettlebell swing | Conditioning | Glutes, hamstrings, back, core |
| Farmer's carry | Strength | Grip, core, upper back, legs |
| Plank | Core | Deep core, shoulders, glutes |
Backs get stronger the same way everything else does: gradual, progressive load. Deadlifts, carries and squats build the whole system; trunk work that resists movement builds the ability to hold a position under load. After an episode of back pain, returning to loading gradually is better supported than long-term avoidance, and there is no need to wait until it is completely pain-free before moving.
Keeping its range
Gentle movement in every direction beats any single stretch. Knees to chest, cat and camel, and easy rotations all restore comfortable range. A back that has locked up is usually guarding rather than short, and repeated easy movement does more than one long stretch held at the limit.
When it goes wrong
| Problem | What it typically feels like | Usual setting |
|---|---|---|
| Non-specific low back pain | Aching or stiffness across the lower back, often worse in one position, without leg symptoms | Extremely common, usually improves over weeks, and rarely needs imaging |
| Lumbar radiculopathy | Pain running down one leg past the knee, often with numbness or weakness in a specific pattern | Nerve root compression or irritation, commonly at L4-L5 or L5-S1 |
| Lumbar spinal stenosis | Leg pain and heaviness on walking that eases when you sit or lean forward on a trolley | Narrowing of the canal, usually with age |
| Cauda equina syndrome | Numbness in the saddle area, difficulty passing urine or loss of control, and weakness in both legs | A surgical emergency — hours matter |
Go to an emergency department immediately for back pain with numbness in the groin or inner thighs, difficulty passing urine or loss of bladder or bowel control, or weakness in both legs. Also seek prompt assessment for back pain after significant trauma, with fever, with a history of cancer, or with unexplained weight loss.
Nothing on this page is a treatment plan. If a problem is limiting what you do, is not improving, or is getting worse, the right next step is an assessment by a doctor or a physiotherapist who can examine you.
Sources: descriptive anatomy from Gray's Anatomy of the Human Body, 20th US edition (1918), which is in the public domain; Latin names follow Terminologia Anatomica, published by the Federative International Programme for Anatomical Terminology. Nerve root levels are the conventional ranges taught from those sources and vary between individuals and between textbooks. Exercise cross-links use the TempoLife exercise library. Checked 2026-09-06.
Frequently asked questions
Does a disc bulge on a scan mean I will have back pain?
No. Disc bulges, degeneration and other findings are common in people with no pain, and they become more common with age. Scan findings have to be interpreted alongside symptoms and examination, which is why routine imaging is not recommended for ordinary back pain.
Should I rest a bad back?
Extended bed rest is no longer recommended and tends to slow recovery. Staying as active as the pain allows, and returning to normal activity gradually, is the advice in current guidelines.
Can a disc slip?
Not literally. Discs are firmly attached to the vertebrae above and below. What is described as a slipped disc is material from the centre pushing through or beyond the outer ring, which may or may not touch a nerve root.
Nearby in this reference
Shoulder joint
The ball and socket at the top of the arm
Knee joint
The hinge between thigh and shin
Hip joint
The ball and socket where the leg meets the pelvis
Achilles tendon
The thick cord at the back of the ankle
Plantar fascia
The thick band along the sole of the foot
Deltoid
The cap of the shoulder
All 34 body parts · Exercise library · Body map
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