BodySignalsGet the appGet early access
Conditions · Condition

Disc degeneration

Age-normal prevalence curve as the spine of the page

Moderate evidenceOutline3 sourcesUpdated 20 Sept 2026Medical review pending
Outline only

This article is planned but not written yet. What it will cover, and the sources already gathered for it, are below.

What this article will cover

Age-normal prevalence curve as the spine of the page.

Planned sections

  • What it is
  • Why it happens
  • How it is recognised
  • What the evidence says
  • What helps
  • When to see a clinician

Sources gathered for this page

  1. 1Systematic literature review of imaging features of spinal degeneration in asymptomatic populationsSystematic review · 2015
  2. 2Dietary inadequacies and their association with pain severity and disc degeneration in patients surgically treated for degenerative lumbosacral disordersCross sectional · 2026
  3. 3Obesity mediates apoptosis and extracellular matrix metabolic imbalances via MAPK pathway activation in intervertebral disc degenerationBasic science · 2019

General information, not medical advice. Every claim carries its source; where the evidence is thin, the page says so.Editorial policy · How we grade evidence · All sources · Disclaimer

Keep reading

How your back works

How the spine changes with age

Disc degeneration appears in 37% of pain-free twenty-year-olds and 96% of eighty-year-olds. Most of what a scan calls degeneration is ordinary ageing.

Read more in LibraryMyths

Will an MRI explain my pain?

An MRI often finds disc bulges and wear, but these are common in people with no pain. Why a scan rarely explains back pain and when it is actually useful.

Read more in LibraryHow your back works

The intervertebral disc

Avascular tissue fed by diffusion; why load cycling matters more than 'hydration' folklore

Outline

Build better posture and movement habits

BodySignals learns how you sit, walk and move, then helps you understand what to change.

Download on the App Store