The soft pad located between each of the vertebrae of the spine is a disk. As a spacer, shock absorber, and part of the cartilaginous joints that allow movement in the spine, the vertebral disc works. Compression and other stresses can be withstood by the disc, thus allowing a great deal of motion and versatility. Two components consist of intervertebral discs - a strong outer part (annulus fibrosus) and a softer inner centre (nucleus pulposus). Like two concentric cylinders, the annulus fibrosus and the nucleus pulposus fit together and the configuration can be represented as a jelly doughnut. The spinal column comprises a total of twenty-three vertebral discs.