Disk Degeneration and Pain

It has been our sincerest honor to have guest-edited this focus issue on “Disk Degeneration and Pain” for the Global Spine Journal. Of particular importance is that this issue commemorates the “first” focus issue of our newly developed journal, which we hope will be one of many more to come. In a recent publication by Vos et al,1 published by The Lancet, low back pain was identified as “the leading” debilitating condition worldwide, representing a tremendous socioeconomic and health care burden. Although not always synonymous with each other, disk degeneration is regarded as one of the determinants related to the development of low back pain. As such, disk degeneration and low back pain have gained the attention of the medical, scientific, and public interest for many years. Nevertheless, these conditions are complex and multi-factorial, and their development and management continue to challenge spine specialists and researchers alike. Therefore, in an effort to expound on matters, we have tailored a unique focus issue composed of multi-disciplinary international experts that have come together in an effort to raise awareness of the current cuttingedge issues surrounding disk degeneration and pain, ranging from imaging and pathomechanisms to novel treatments. Adhering to review-style papers, this focus issue addresses the following: