Intervertebral Disk

Information about Intervertebral Disk



Median sagittal section of two lumbar vertebrÃ¦ and their ligaments. (Intervertebral fibrocartilage labeled at center left.)

Costotransverse articulation. Seen from above. (Intervertebral fibrocartilage labeled at top center .)
Latin	disci intervertebrales
	subject #72 289
MeSH	Intervertebral+Disk
Dorlands/Elsevier	d_22/12300697

Intervertebral discs (or intervertebral fibrocartilage) lie between adjacent vertebrae in the spine. Each disc forms a cartilaginous joint to allow slight movement of the vertebrae, and acts as a ligament to hold the vertebrae together.

Structure

Discs consist of an outer annulus fibrosus, which surrounds the inner nucleus pulposus. The annulus fibrosus consists of several layers of fibrocartilage. The strong annular fibers contain the nucleus pulposus and distribute pressure evenly across the disc. The nucleus pulposus contains loose fibers suspended in a mucoprotein gel the consistency of jelly. The nucleus of the disc acts as a shock absorber, absorbing the impact of the body's daily activities and keeping the two vertebrae separated. The disc can be likened to a doughnut: whereby the annulus fibrosis is similar to the dough and the nucleus pulposis is the jelly. If one presses down on the front of the doughnut the jelly moves posteriorly or to the back. When one develops a prolapsed disc the jelly/ nucleus pulposis is forced out of the doughnut/ disc and may put pressure on the nerve located near the disc. This will give one the symptoms of sciatica.

Cervical vertebra with intervertebral disc

There is one disc between each pair of vertebrae, except for the first cervical segment, the atlas. The atlas is a ring around the roughly cone-shaped extension of the axis (second cervical segment). The axis acts as a post around which the atlas can rotate, allowing the neck to swivel. There are a total of twenty-three discs in the spine, which are identified by specifying the particular vertebrae they separate. For example, the disc between the fifth and sixth cervical vertabrae is designated "C5-6".

Medical conditions related to the intervertebral disc

As people age, the nucleus pulposus begins to dehydrate, which limits its ability to absorb shock. The annulus fibrosus gets weaker with age and begins to tear. While this may not cause pain in some people, in others one or both of these may cause chronic pain.

Pain due to the inability of the dehydrating nucleus pulposus to absorb shock is called axial pain or disc space pain. One generally refers to the gradual dehydration of the nucleus pulposus as degenerative disc disease.

When the annulus fibrosus tears due to an injury or the aging process, the nucleus pulposus can begin to extrude through the tear. This is called disc herniation. Near the posterior side of each disc, all along the spine, major spinal nerves extend out to different organs, tissues, extremities etc. It is very common for the herniated disc to press against these nerves (pinched nerve) causing radiating pain, numbness, tingling, and diminished strength and/or range of motion. In addition, the contact of the inner nuclear gel, which contains inflammatory proteins, with a nerve can also cause significant pain. Nerve-related pain is called radicular pain.

Herniated discs go by many names and these can mean different things to different medical professionals. A slipped disc, ruptured disc, or a bulging disc can all refer to the same medical condition.

Protrusions of the disc into the adjacent vertebra are known as Schmorl's nodes.

Additional images

Artificial intervertebral disc

Posterior longitudinal ligament, in the thoracic region.

Median sagittal section through the occipital bone and first three cervical vertebrÃ¦.

Costovertebral articulations. Anterior view.

External links

• • [ e] Joints and ligaments of torso
Vertebral column	articulations of vertebral bodies: anterior longitudinal ligament - posterior longitudinal ligament - intervertebral disc articulations of vertebral arches : ligamenta flava - supraspinous ligament (nuchal ligament) - interspinal ligament - intertransverse ligament zygapophysial joint
Costovertebral	articulation of head of rib: radiate ligament - interarticular ligament costotransverse
Sternocostal	interarticular sternocostal ligament - radiate sternocostal ligaments - costoxiphoid ligaments interchondral, costochondral
Pelvis	articulation of the vertebral column with the pelvis: iliolumbar ligament sacroiliac: anterior sacroiliac ligament - posterior sacroiliac ligament - interosseous sacroiliac ligament ligaments connecting the sacrum and ischium: sacrotuberous ligament - sacrospinous ligament sacrococcygeal symphysis: anterior sacrococcygeal ligament - posterior sacrococcygeal ligament pubic symphysis: superior pubic ligament - inferior pubic ligament

Latin}}}
Official status
Official language of: Vatican City
Used for official purposes, but not spoken in everyday speech
Regulated by: Opus Fundatum Latinitas
Roman Catholic Church
Language codes
ISO 639-1: la
ISO 639-2: lat
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Medical Subject Headings (MeSH) is a huge controlled vocabulary (or metadata system) for the purpose of indexing journal articles and books in the life sciences. Created and updated by the United States National Library of Medicine (NLM), it is used by the MEDLINE/PubMed
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Elsevier, the world's largest publisher of medical and scientific literature, forms part of the Reed Elsevier group. Based in Amsterdam, the company has substantial operations in the UK, USA and elsewhere.
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The Vertebral Column (singular: vertebra) are the individual irregular bones that make up the spinal column (aka ischis) — a flexuous and flexible column.
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vertebral column (backbone or spine) is a column of 34 vertebrae, the sacrum, intervertebral discs, and the coccyx situated in the dorsal aspect of the torso, separated by spinal discs. It houses the spinal cord in its spinal canal.
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Released October 31, 2007
Genre J-Pop
Length N/A
Label Geneon
Producer(s) I've Sound

Mami Kawada singles chronology

Get my way!
(2007) JOINT
(2007)

JOINT
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In anatomy, the term ligament is used to denote three different types of structures:^[1]

Fibrous tissue that connects bones to other bones. They are sometimes called "articular ligaments"^[2], "fibrous ligaments", or "true ligaments".

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annulus fibrosus.

Spelling notes

Either "anulus" or "annulus" are correct spellings. Gray's Anatomy uses "annulus fibrosus," Terminologia Anatomica uses "anulus fibrosus," and Nomina Anatomica uses both forms.
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Nucleus pulposus is the jelly-like substance in the middle of the spinal disc. It is the remnant of the notochord. It functions to distribute hydraulic pressure in all directions within each disc under compressive loads.
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White fibrocartilage consists of a mixture of white fibrous tissue and cartilaginous tissue in various proportions; to the former of these constituents it owes its flexibility and toughness, and to the latter its elasticity.
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Spinal disc herniation
Classification & external resources

ICD-9 722.2

OMIM 603932
DiseasesDB 6861
MedlinePlus 000442
eMedicine orthoped/138 radio/219 A spinal disc herniation, incorrectly called a "slipped disc
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Sciatica
Classification & external resources

Left gluteal region, showing surface markings for arteries and sciatic nerve.
ICD-10 M 54.3 -M 54.4
ICD-9 724.
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In anatomy, the atlas (C1) is the topmost (first) cervical vertebra of the spine.

It is named for the Atlas of mythology, because it supports the globe of the head.
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axis (from Latin axis, "axle") or epistropheus.

It forms the pivot upon which the first cervical vertebra (the atlas), which carries the head, rotates.
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degenerative disc disease" (DDD) of the spine, is a common disorder of the lower spine and for some people can cause low back pain and/or leg pain (sciatica). Disc degeneration can also lead to disorders such as spinal stenosis (narrowing of the spinal canal that houses the spinal
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MeSH D011843 Radiculopathy is not a specific condition, but rather a description of a problem in which one or more nerves are affected and do not work properly (a neuropathy). The emphasis is on the nerve root ("radix" = "root").
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Radiculitis
Classification & external resources

ICD-10 M 54.1
ICD-9 729.2

DiseasesDB 29521

MeSH D011843 Radicular Pain, or Radiculitis
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Schmorl's nodes are protrusions of the cartilage of the intervertebral disc through the vertebral body endplate and into the adjacent vertebra. ^[1]

Presentation

The protrusions may contact the marrow of the vertebra, leading to inflammation.
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MeSH D001416 Back pain (also known "dorsalgia") is pain felt in the back that may originate from the muscles, nerves, bones, joints or other structures in the spine.
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Medical University of Vienna , formerly the faculty of medicine of the University of Vienna, became an independent university on January 1, 2004. The independence of medical schools from the structure of "general" universities was part of a larger reform of the Austrian university
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In anatomy, the term ligament is used to denote three different types of structures:^[1]

Fibrous tissue that connects bones to other bones. They are sometimes called "articular ligaments"^[2], "fibrous ligaments", or "true ligaments".

..... Click the link for more information.

Torso is an anatomical term for the central part of the many animal bodies (including that of the human) from which extend the neck and limbs. It is sometimes referred to as the trunk. The torso includes the thorax and abdomen.
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Intervertebral Disk

Information about Intervertebral Disk

Structure

Medical conditions related to the intervertebral disc

See also

Additional images

External links

Spelling notes

Presentation