AGEING AND DEGENERATIVE CHANGE: DISC DEGENERATION
A completely degenerated disc is much thinner than a normal one. On an X-ray, this shows up as a narrowing of the space between vertebral bodies, since the disc itself does not show on X-rays. As well as being flattened, it is stiff and fibrous. At this stage it is unlikely to cause back pain. When the degenerative process has reached this stage of stiffness, and the nucleus has dried out, there is much less risk of prolapse, and the system is stable.
It is in the earlier stages of degeneration that disc injuries and pain are more likely. The disc is much weaker than it was formerly, and much readier to bulge. It can therefore become the source of repeated back trouble. Mechanically, it can no longer restrain the shearing forces between the vertebral bodies as efficiently as it once did, and therefore the joints and ligaments may have to resist greater strains than they are designed for.
A sign of degenerative change is the appearance of small ruptures in the annulus fibrosus (the outer casing) and the pulpy nucleus tends to spread through these. It is at this stage that some people undergo a disc prolapse which can cause trouble.
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