Intervertebral Discs

Last updated: Nov 15th, 2024

The intervertebral discs, which separate joining vertebrae, are fastened to the roughened upper and lower surfaces of the bodies. These discs cushion and soften the forces created by walking and jumping, which might otherwise fracture the vertebrae or jar the brain. Each intervertebral disc is composed of a band of fibrous fibrocartilage (annulus fibrosus) that surrounds a gelatinous core, called the nucleus pulposus.