Intervertebral Disc Degeneration

Degenerative disc disease is a significant component of spine disorders and lower back pain that now afflicts nearly one third of the adult population. This represents a significant morbidity and cost burden -- nearly a tenth of all health-care spending -- that is only increasing in prevalence as the elderly population continues to grow. While current treatment modalities, ranging from conservative approaches to surgical interventions, are continually evolving, new therapies for intervertebral disc disease are also in development. Increased research on the cellular mechanisms underlying DDD have led to novel cell-based treatments which aim to delay rates of degeneration. Intervertebral Disc Degeneration: Prevalence, Risk Factors and Treatments is a comprehensive text on all facets of the disease process that covers the pathophysiology, biomechanics, as well as the location specific pathology and treatment options for degenerative disc disease. Written by nationally renowned experts in neurosurgery and orthopedic surgery of the spine, each chapter is a thorough, cogent discussion of an essential topic related to intervertebral disc degeneration that includes many original, easy to understand figures and illustrations. Also included are overviews of the most cutting-edge and emerging surgical and biologic management options of disc disease at all levels of the spine.