Cross-Section View of the Disc Joint

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Disc joint of the spine.

Disc joint of the spine. Left lateral view of a sagittal-plane cross-section.

• The disc joint has two main components:
  • outer annulus fibrosus
  • inner nucleus pulposus

• The disc joint is located anteriorly in the midline, between vertebral bodies.
• A disc joint is an amphiarthrotic, cartilaginous joint, with the bodies of the vertebrae united by fibrocartilage.
  • The annuls fibrosus consists of 10-20 concentric layers of fibrocartilage, arranged in a basket-weave configuration.

Notes:

1. There is no disc joint at the atlanto-axial (C1-C2) joint level and at the atlanto-occipital (C1-C0) joint level… because the atlas (C1) has no body, and disc joints are located between bodies of vertebrae. 
2. This cross-section view nicely demonstrates the outer cortical compact bone and the inner spongy (cancellous) trabecular bone.