The intention of this paper is to introduce some of the issues surrounding the role of muscles to ensure spine stability for discussion -- it is not intended to provide an exhaustive review and integration of the relevant literature. The collection of works synthesized here point to the notion that stability results from highly coordinated muscle activation patterns involving many muscles, and that the recruitment patterns must continually change, depending on the task. This has implications on both the prevention of instability and clinical interventions with patients susceptible to sustaining unstable events.