Search results
Results From The WOW.Com Content Network
An intervertebral disc (British English), also spelled intervertebral disk (American English), lies between adjacent vertebrae in the vertebral column.Each disc forms a fibrocartilaginous joint (a symphysis), to allow slight movement of the vertebrae, to act as a ligament to hold the vertebrae together, and to function as a shock absorber for the spine.
The number of vertebrae in a region can vary but overall the number remains the same. In a human spinal column, there are normally 33 vertebrae. [3] The upper 24 pre-sacral vertebrae are articulating and separated from each other by intervertebral discs, and the lower nine are fused in adults, five in the sacrum and four in the coccyx, or tailbone.
This SVG diagram contains embedded raster graphics. Such images are liable to produce inferior results when scaled to different sizes (as well as possibly being very inefficient in file size). If appropriate to do so, they should be replaced with images created using vector graphics .
An example is the intervertebral disc. Individual intervertebral discs allow for small movements between adjacent vertebrae, but when added together, the vertebral column provides the flexibility that allows the body to twist, or bend to the front, back, or side. [13] synovial joint (also known as a diarthrosis) – freely movable.
The discs between these vertebrae create a natural lumbar lordosis (a spinal curvature that is concave posteriorly). [citation needed] This is due to the difference in thickness between the front and back parts of the intervertebral discs. The lumbar vertebrae are located between the ribcage and the pelvis and are the largest of the vertebrae.
The vertebral canal is enclosed anteriorly by the vertebral bodies, intervertebral discs, and the posterior longitudinal ligament; it is enclosed posteriorly by the vertebral laminae and the ligamenta flava; laterally, it is incompletely enclosed by the pedicles with the interval between two adjacent pedicles on either side creating an intervertebral foramen (allowing the passage of the spinal ...
Micrograph showing a fragment of an intervertebral disc demonstrating degenerative fibrocartilage with loss of nuclei and nests of chondrocytes, as seen in degenerative disc disease. HPS stain. Degeneration of fibrocartilage is seen in degenerative disc disease.
A disc herniation or spinal disc herniation is an injury to the intervertebral disc between two vertebrae, usually caused by excessive strain or trauma to the spine. It may result in back pain , pain or sensation in different parts of the body, and physical disability .