Ace the 2026 Geriatrics Palmer Exam 2 – Master Aging with Flair!

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Under pressure, what happens to the nucleus pulposus?

It expands rostrally toward the vertebral bodies.

It becomes flatter and broader and pushes outward in all directions against the fibrous lamellae.

Under axial loading, the nucleus pulposus acts like a hydrostatic gel. The pressure within pushes outward evenly against the surrounding annulus fibrosus, causing the nucleus to flatten and broaden. This radial expansion distributes the load across the ring of collagen fibers, rather than shrinking or migrating toward a specific direction. The annulus resists this outward bulge with tensile forces in its lamellae, containing the nucleus and maintaining disc integrity.

It contracts and becomes denser.

It migrates toward the vertebral body.