TY - JOUR AU - Urban, Jill PG AU - Roberts, Sally PY - 2003 DA - 2003/03/11 TI - Degeneration of the intervertebral disc JO - Arthritis Res Ther SP - 120 VL - 5 IS - 3 AB - The intervertebral disc is a cartilaginous structure that resembles articular cartilage in its biochemistry, but morphologically it is clearly different. It shows degenerative and ageing changes earlier than does any other connective tissue in the body. It is believed to be important clinically because there is an association of disc degeneration with back pain. Current treatments are predominantly conservative or, less commonly, surgical; in many cases there is no clear diagnosis and therapy is considered inadequate. New developments, such as genetic and biological approaches, may allow better diagnosis and treatments in the future. SN - 1478-6354 UR - https://doi.org/10.1186/ar629 DO - 10.1186/ar629 ID - Urban2003 ER -