Intervertebral disc L3–L4
Discus intervertebralis
SkeletalSkeletonAbdomen
- What it is
- Fibrocartilage cushion between the L3 and L4 vertebral bodies: a tough ring (annulus fibrosus) around a gel core (nucleus pulposus).
- Function
- Absorbs shock and lets adjacent vertebrae rock and twist on each other.
- Size
- ≈ 50 × 32 mm, 8 mm thick here (discs make up ~25% of spinal length)
- Clinical note
- Discs lose water with age, which is why people get slightly shorter; a torn annulus lets the nucleus herniate onto a nerve root.