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This is the intention ⭐️ alignment and ease

So true and usually essential !

The nuchal ligament is a thick, triangular, fibroelastic band at the back of the neck that extends between the base of the skull and C7 in the midline. Specifically, it attaches from the external occipital protuberance to the posterior border of the foramen magnum, the posterior tubercle of vertebra C1 and the apices of the remaining cervical spinous processes. The apex of the triangular nuchal ligament attaches to the tip of the spinous process of C7 where it merges inferiorly with the supraspinous ligament. The function of the nuchal ligament is to support the head. It resists flexion and restores the head to its anatomical position. Additionally, this ligament serves as a surface for attachment of muscles of the posterior neck and shoulder.

Clinically, tenderness along the midline posterior neck may involve the nuchal ligament, especially in cases of sustained flexion loading or after sudden acceleration–deceleration mechanisms. However, imaging findings in this region often have limited correlation with symptoms. As with most connective tissues, nociception is more related to sensitivity and loading context than structural “damage” alone.

This 🩵

Our work as Certified Rolfers® revolves around how the body interacts with gravity, shaping how we move, stand, and live.

Misalignments or fascial tension can force the body into inefficient compensations, leading to pain, poor posture, and wasted energy.

Through the Rolfing Ten‑Series®, we methodically align structure, integrating movement and posture so the whole system moves as one.

The goal: a body that stands balanced, moves efficiently, and lives with less structural strain.

All connected

What you’re looking at here is the deep posterior abdominal wall and lower thoracic region, with the superficial layers removed so you can actually see how these structures relate in real human tissue rather than a clean textbook diagram.

At the very top, running along the inferior border of the 12th rib, is the subcostal muscle. This is essentially the continuation of the innermost intercostal layer once you run out of intercostal spaces. It sits deep, close to the pleura, and its role is minor in respiration, more about fine control of the lower rib rather than producing forceful movement.

Deep to that, and spanning from the iliac crest up to the 12th rib and transverse processes of the lumbar spine, is quadratus lumborum. In cadaveric tissue like this, it often looks flatter and broader than people expect. Clinically, it’s a frequent contributor to deep lumbar and flank pain, not because it’s “tight” or “short,” but because it’s heavily involved in load transfer and sustained postural tasks.

Medial to QL you can see psoas major, running vertically along the lumbar vertebral bodies. In real anatomy it’s much more substantial and irregular than the neat fusiform muscle shown in models. Its intimate relationship with the lumbar discs, vertebral bodies, and neural structures is obvious here, which explains why lumbar spine issues and deep anterior hip pain often coexist.

You can also see iliacus inferiorly, lining the inner surface of the ilium and blending with psoas to form the iliopsoas complex. Again, this highlights that these muscles are not isolated structures but part of a continuous regional system.

What these images do well is strip away the myths. There’s no obvious “knot,” nothing visibly “out of place,” and no single structure that can be blamed in isolation. Pain in this region is rarely about one muscle misbehaving and far more about how these tissues are interacting with load, movement, and the nervous system over time.