Related Experiment Video
Updated: May 21, 2026

Optical Sectioning and Visualization of the Intervertebral Disc from Embryonic Development to Degeneration
Published on: July 8, 2021
Degenerative joint disease of the spine
1University of Newcastle, Callaghan, New South Wales, Australia. vickin.caesar@hnehealth.nsw.gov.au
Abstract:
Degenerative changes are the manifestations of metabolic disturbances in the matrix of intervertebral disks and zygapophysial joints. Genetic factors and physical loading contribute, but the strongest correlation is with age. Degenerative changes lack any significant correlation with spinal pain. Therefore, they do not constitute a diagnosis. Internal disk disruption is a distinctive condition that is independent of degeneration and age. Its biophysical and morphologic features correlate with back pain, as do its manifestations on magnetic resonance imaging.
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