A thorough knowledge of the anatomy of the intervertebral ligaments is necessary to provide the basis for good clinical management of back injuries. This paper reviews the literature concerning the lumbar ligaments, including the zygoapophyseal joints. While general principles regarding the anatomy of the ligaments is relatively clear, areas of omission or discrepancy exist. There is very little substantiated information on: the dimensional characteristics of the ligaments; the fibre lengths of the facet capsule; the attachments of the anterior longitudinal ligament; the orientation of the interspinous ligament, and the extent of the supraspinous ligament.