1. Slideshow: Low Back Pain
2. Take the Back Pain Quiz!
3. Good and Bad Exercises for Low Back Pain

Medical Author:

Jason C. Eck, DO, MS

Jason C. Eck, DO, MS

Dr. Eck received a Bachelor of Science degree from the Catholic University of America in Biomedical Engineering, followed by a Master of Science degree in Biomedical Engineering from Marquette University. Following this he worked as a research engineer

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Medical Editor:

Melissa Conrad Stöppler, MD, Chief Medical Editor

Melissa Conrad Stöppler, MD, Chief Medical Editor

Melissa Conrad Stöppler, MD, is a U.S. board-certified Anatomic Pathologist with subspecialty training in the fields of Experimental and Molecular Pathology. Dr. Stöppler's educational background includes a BA with Highest Distinction from the University of Virginia and an MD from the University of North Carolina. She completed residency training in Anatomic Pathology at Georgetown University followed by subspecialty fellowship training in molecular diagnostics and experimental pathology.

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Lumbar disc disease is caused by normal degenerative changes that occur as a person ages. The lumbar spine is composed of motion segments. Each motion segment consists of two vertebral bodies, the intervertebral disc, and two facet joints. The intervertebral disc acts as the cushion, or "shock absorber," of the spine.

The intervertebral disc is made up mostly of water. This allows it to maintain its cushion-like properties. As people age, the intervertebral disc loses some of its water content. As this happens, the outer layers of the disc are more likely to develop cracks or tears. These can be a significant source of low back pain. This is the beginning of internal disc disruption.

When the outer layer of the disc cracks, the disc looses its normal water content. This reduces its ability to act as a cushion for the loads applied to the spine. Eventually, it leads to a collapse of the disc and degenerative changes in both the vertebral bodies and the facet joints of the spine. When this occurs, the condition is known as degenerative disc disease.

The final process in lumbar disc disease occurs when the degenerative changes lead to destruction of the ligamentous and other soft tissue restraints of the spine. This is known as segmental instability, which occurs when a loss of the normal structural stability of the spinal segment occurs.

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