INTRODUCTION Degeneration of the intervertebral discs cause discogenic low back pain and limited mobility. Current surgical treatments include spine fusion, which eliminates pain but does not restore disc function, or implantation of synthetic disc prostheses. However, these materials face challenges in fixation, mechanical strength and loosing of the implant [1]. Tissue engineering strategies ...

Low back pain, which is often caused by disc degeneration, is a major health problem. Due to the limitations of the current treatments for degenerative disc disease, tissue engineering methods have been proposed. These methods present the opportunity to restore the functionality of the intervertebral disc by repairing or replacing the degenerated tissue. One of the major challenges in intervert...

Approximately 2.6 % of the US population visits a physician for treatment of spinal disorders annually (Fraser 2009 ) with costs of $7.1 billion from lost work days alone (Ricci et al. 2006 ) . “Herniation” of the intervertebral disc is one of the several spinal disorders that contribute to this very high incidence, with potential to cause signi fi cant pain, neurological de fi cit, and functio...

Degeneration of the lumbar intervertebral discs is irreversible, with no treatment currently available. Building upon experimental studies that demonstrated the importance of the nucleus pulposus (NP) in preserving disc structure, we demonstrated that reinsertion of NP cells slowed further disc degeneration and that direct cell-to-cell contact co-culture with mesenchymal stromal cells (MSCs) si...

STUDY DESIGN Descriptive, microdissection study. OBJECTIVE To determine the morphology of the human adult cervical intervertebral disc and its ligaments. SUMMARY OF BACKGROUND DATA Some studies indicate that the cervical disc is distinctly different from the lumbar intervertebral disc, yet most clinical and anatomic texts appear content with extrapolating data from the lumbar spine. A detai...

This study attempted to characterize neural elements within the human cervical intervertebral disc. Cervical intervertebral discs were obtained from four adult human subjects at autopsy. Discs were stained in bulk with gold chloride, sectioned, and viewed with the light microscope. Nerve fibers appeared to enter the disc in the posterolateral direction and course both parallel and perpendicular...

Finite element modelling of the spinal unit is a promising preclinical tool to assess biomechanical outcome emerging interventions. Currently, most models are calibrated and validated against range motion rarely directly soft-tissue deformation. The aim this contribution was develop an in vitro methodology measure disc bulge ability different specimen-specific approaches predict bulge. Bovine b...

Spinal fusion for degenerative disc disease has been associated with a variety of side effects, including increased morbidity, infection, failed back syndrome, pseudoarthrosis, and acceleration of degenerative changes in adjacent intervertebral discs and facet joints. Based on the experience of arthroplasty of hip and other joints, there has been an escalating in research emphasizing the design...