The reason that intervertebral discs exhibit a large amount of tensile strength, which allows them to absorb shock, is because they possess <u>collagen fibers</u>.
The intervertebral discs are cartilage, a kind of pad, found between one vertebra and another, whose function is to cushion and distribute loads by stabilizing the movement between the vertebrae.
Its flexible and resistant structure is made up of 95% water and consists of two parts:
- A central, gelatinous consistency, called "nucleus pulposus".
- A fibrous covering that keeps it in place and is called a "fibrous ring", made up of collagen fibers embedded in a matrix of proteoglycans.
Characteristics of collagen fibers in intervertebral discs:
- The collagen fibers of the layers are oriented at alternating angles of ± 60 with respect to the longitudinal axis of the column.
- The concentric layers are not continuous, with more layers appearing in the anterior zone of the ring than in the posterior zone.
- This distribution of its components enables the ring to support axial compression loads (inside the ring), radial compression and circumferential stress (outside the ring) due to compressive loads on the disc; in addition to supporting shear loads of torsion and bending.
- On the other hand, this arrangement of the fibers causes an anisotropic behavior, supporting tension loads, but without resisting compression loads.
Therefore, the intervertebral discs are cartilage whose function is to cushion and distribute the loads that have a "fibrous ring", formed by several concentric layers of collagen fibers, which allows them to absorb shock.
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