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Bone & Joint 360
Vol. 3, Issue 2 | Pages 31 - 31
1 Apr 2014
Foy MA


Bone & Joint 360
Vol. 11, Issue 3 | Pages 32 - 35
1 Jun 2022


Bone & Joint 360
Vol. 11, Issue 1 | Pages 36 - 38
1 Feb 2022


Bone & Joint 360
Vol. 12, Issue 5 | Pages 49 - 50
1 Oct 2023
Marson BA

This edition of Cochrane Corner looks at some of the work published by the Cochrane Collaboration, covering pharmacological interventions for the prevention of bleeding in people undergoing definitive fixation or joint replacement for hip, pelvic, and long bone fractures; interventions for reducing red blood cell transfusion in adults undergoing hip fracture surgery: an overview of systematic reviews; and pharmacological treatments for low back pain in adults: an overview of Cochrane Reviews


Bone & Joint 360
Vol. 13, Issue 6 | Pages 33 - 35
1 Dec 2024

The December 2024 Spine Roundup. 360. looks at: Rostral facet joint violations in robotic- and navigation-assisted pedicle screw placement; The inhibitory effect of non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs and opioids on spinal fusion: an animal model;L5-S1 transforaminal lumbar interbody fusion is associated with increased revisions compared to L4-L5 TLIF at two years; Immediate versus gradual brace weaning protocols in adolescent idiopathic scoliosis: a randomized clinical trial; Effectiveness and cost-effectiveness of an individualized, progressive walking, and education intervention for the prevention of low back pain recurrence in Australia (WalkBack): a randomized controlled trial; Usefulness and limitations of intraoperative pathological diagnosis using frozen sections for spinal cord tumours; Effect of preoperative HbA1c and blood glucose level on the surgical site infection after lumbar instrumentation surgery; How good are surgeons at achieving their alignment goals?


Bone & Joint 360
Vol. 4, Issue 1 | Pages 24 - 26
1 Feb 2015

The February 2015 Spine Roundup. 360 . looks at: Paracetamol use for lower back pain; En-bloc resection of vertebra reported for the first time; Spinopelvic disassociation under the spotlight; Hope for back pain; Disc replacement and ACDF equivalent in randomised study; Interspinous process devices ineffective


Bone & Joint 360
Vol. 3, Issue 2 | Pages 17 - 19
1 Apr 2014

The April 2014 Spine Roundup. 360 . looks at: medical treatment for ankylosing spondylitis; unilateral TLIF effective; peg fractures akin to neck of femur fractures; sleep apnoea and spinal surgery; scoliosis in osteogenesis imperfect; paediatric atlanto-occipital dislocation; back pain and obesity: chicken or egg?; BMP associated with lumbar plexus deficit; and just how common is back pain?


Bone & Joint 360
Vol. 4, Issue 4 | Pages 24 - 26
1 Aug 2015

The August 2015 Spine Roundup360 looks at: Steroids may be useful in avoiding dysphagia in anterior cervical discectomy and fusion (ACDF); Perhaps X-Stop ought to stop?; Is cervical plexus block in ACDF the gateway to day case spinal surgery?; Epidural past its heyday?; Steroids in lumbar back pain; Lumbar disc replacement improving; Post-discectomy arthritis


Bone & Joint 360
Vol. 4, Issue 2 | Pages 23 - 25
1 Apr 2015

The April 2015 Spine Roundup360 looks at: Hyperostotic spine in injury; App based back pain control; Interspinous process devices should be avoided in claudication; Robot assisted pedicle screws: fad or advance?; Vancomycin antibiotic power in spinal surgery; What to do with that burst fracture?; Increasing complexity of spinal fractures in major trauma pathways; Vitamin D and spinal fractures


Bone & Joint 360
Vol. 4, Issue 5 | Pages 21 - 22
1 Oct 2015

The October 2015 Spine Roundup360 looks at: Traumatic spinal cord injury under the spotlight; The odontoid peg nonunion; Driving and spinal surgery; Drains and antibiotics post-spinal surgery; Vertebroplasty and kyphoplasty equally effective; Who will benefit from steroid injections?; Back pain following lumbar discectomy


Bone & Joint 360
Vol. 3, Issue 5 | Pages 23 - 24
1 Oct 2014

The October 2014 Spine Roundup. 360 . looks at: microdiscectomy is not exactly a hands-down winner; lumbar spinal stenosis unpicked; Wallis implant helpful in lumbosacral decompression; multidisciplinary rehabilitation is good for back pain; and understanding the sciatic stretch test


Bone & Joint 360
Vol. 4, Issue 1 | Pages 29 - 31
1 Feb 2015

The February 2015 Children’s orthopaedics Roundup. 360 . looks at: Hip dislocation in children with CTEV: two decades of experience; Population-based prevention of DDH in cerebral palsy: 20 years’ experience; Shoulder derotation in congenital plexus palsy; Back pain in the paediatric population: could MRI be the answer?; Intercondylar fracture of the humerus in children; The Dunn osteotomy in SUFE; Radiocapitellar line a myth!; Do ‘flatfooted’ children suffer?


Bone & Joint 360
Vol. 3, Issue 3 | Pages 27 - 29
1 Jun 2014

The June 2014 Spine Roundup. 360 . looks at: spinal pedicle screws in paediatric patients; improving diagnosis in lumbar spine stenosis; back pain all in the head?; brace three patients, save one scoliosis operation; pedicle screws more often misplaced than one would think; and incidental dural tears usually no problem


Bone & Joint 360
Vol. 3, Issue 1 | Pages 27 - 29
1 Feb 2014

The February 2014 Spine Roundup. 360 . looks at: single posterior approach for severe kyphosis; risk factors for recurrent disc herniation; dysphagia and cervical disc replacement or fusion; hang on to your topical antibiotics; cost-effective lumbar disc replacement; anxiolytics no role to play in acute lumbar back pain; and surgery best for lumbar disc herniation


Bone & Joint 360
Vol. 12, Issue 5 | Pages 34 - 36
1 Oct 2023

The October 2023 Spine Roundup360 looks at: Cutting through surgical smoke: the science of cleaner air in spinal operations; Unlocking success: key factors in thoracic spine decompression and fusion for ossification of the posterior longitudinal ligament; Deep learning algorithm for identifying cervical cord compression due to degenerative canal stenosis on radiography; Surgeon experience influences robotics learning curve for minimally invasive lumbar fusion; Decision-making algorithm for the surgical treatment of degenerative lumbar spondylolisthesis of L4/L5; Response to preoperative steroid injections predicts surgical outcomes in patients undergoing fusion for isthmic spondylolisthesis.


Bone & Joint 360
Vol. 13, Issue 4 | Pages 29 - 31
2 Aug 2024

The August 2024 Spine Roundup360 looks at: Laminectomy adjacent to instrumented fusion increases adjacent segment disease; Influence of the timing of surgery for cervical spinal cord injury without bone injury in the elderly: a retrospective multicentre study; Lumbar vertebral body tethering: single-centre outcomes and reoperations in a consecutive series of 106 patients; Machine-learning algorithms for predicting Cobb angle beyond 25° in female adolescent idiopathic scoliosis patients; Pain in adolescent idiopathic scoliosis; Teriparatide prevents surgery for osteoporotic vertebral compression fracture.


Bone & Joint 360
Vol. 12, Issue 2 | Pages 6 - 9
1 Apr 2023
O’Callaghan J Afolayan J Ochieng D Rocos B


Bone & Joint 360
Vol. 2, Issue 3 | Pages 29 - 31
1 Jun 2013

The June 2013 Spine Roundup. 360 . looks at: the benefit of MRI in the follow-up of lumbar disc prolapse; gunshot injury to the spinal cord; the link between depression and back pain; floating dural sack sign; short segment fixation at ten years; whether early return to play is safer than previously thought; infection in diabetic spinal patients; and dynesis


Bone & Joint 360
Vol. 12, Issue 3 | Pages 37 - 40
1 Jun 2023

The April 2023 Children’s orthopaedics Roundup360 looks at: CT scan of the ipsilateral femoral neck in paediatric shaft fractures; Meniscal injuries in skeletally immature children with tibial eminence fractures: a systematic literature review; Post-maturity progression in adolescent idiopathic scoliosis curves of 40° to 50°; Prospective, randomized Ponseti treatment for clubfoot: orthopaedic surgeons versus physical therapists; FIFA 11+ Kids: challenges in implementing a prevention programme; The management of developmental dysplasia of the hip in children aged under three months: a consensus study from the British Society for Children's Orthopaedic Surgery; Early investigation and bracing in developmental dysplasia of the hip impacts maternal wellbeing and breastfeeding; Hip arthrodesis in children: a review of 26 cases with a mean of 20 years’ follow-up


Bone & Joint 360
Vol. 12, Issue 6 | Pages 34 - 35
1 Dec 2023

The December 2023 Spine Roundup360 looks at: Does size matter in adolescent pedicle screws?; Effect of lumbar fusion and pelvic fixation rigidity on hip joint stress: a finite element analysis; Utility of ultrasonography in the diagnosis of lumbar spondylolysis in adolescent patients; Rett syndrome-associated scoliosis a national picture.


Bone & Joint 360
Vol. 13, Issue 3 | Pages 48 - 49
3 Jun 2024
Marson BA

The Cochrane Collaboration has produced five new reviews relevant to bone and joint surgery since the publication of the last Cochrane Corner These reviews are relevant to a wide range of musculoskeletal specialists, and include reviews in Morton’s neuroma, scoliosis, vertebral fractures, carpal tunnel syndrome, and lower limb arthroplasty.


Bone & Joint 360
Vol. 13, Issue 2 | Pages 33 - 35
1 Apr 2024

The April 2024 Spine Roundup360 looks at: Lengthening behaviour of magnetically controlled growing rods in early-onset scoliosis: a multicentre study; LDL, cholesterol, and statins usage cause pseudarthrosis following lumbar interbody fusion; Decision-making in the treatment of degenerative lumbar spondylolisthesis of L4/L5; Does the interfacing angle between pedicle screws and support rods affect clinical outcomes after posterior thoracolumbar fusion?; Returning to the grind: how workload influences recovery post-lumbar spine surgery; Securing the spine: a leap forward with s2 alar-iliac screws in adult spinal deformity surgery.


Bone & Joint 360
Vol. 1, Issue 2 | Pages 23 - 25
1 Apr 2012

The April 2012 Spine Roundup. 360. looks at yoga for lower back pain, spinal tuberculosis, complications of spinal surgery, fusing the subaxial cervical spine, minimally invasive surgery and osteoporotic vertebral fractures, spinal surgery in the over 65s, and pain relief after spinal surgery


Bone & Joint 360
Vol. 1, Issue 3 | Pages 21 - 23
1 Jun 2012

The June 2012 Spine Roundup. 360. looks at: back pain; spinal fusion for tuberculosis; anatomical course of the recurrent laryngeal nerve; groin pain with normal imaging; the herniated intervertebral disc; obesity’s effect on the spine; the medicolegal risks of cauda equina syndrome; and intravenous lidocaine use and failed back surgery syndrome


Bone & Joint 360
Vol. 2, Issue 1 | Pages 27 - 30
1 Feb 2013

The February 2013 Spine Roundup. 360 . looks at: complications with anterior decompression and fusion; lumbar claudication and peripheral vascular disease; increasing cervical instability in rheumatoids; kyphoplasty; cervical stenosis; exercise or fusion for chronic lower back pain; lumbar disc arthroplasty and adjacent level changes; and obese disc prolapses


Bone & Joint 360
Vol. 11, Issue 6 | Pages 34 - 36
1 Dec 2022

The December 2022 Spine Roundup360 looks at: Deep venous thrombosis prophylaxis protocol on a Level 1 trauma centre patient database; Non-specific spondylodiscitis: a new perspective for surgical treatment; Disc degeneration could be recovered after chemonucleolysis; Three-level anterior cervical discectomy and fusion versus corpectomy- anterior cervical discectomy and fusion “hybrid” procedures: how does the alignment look?; Rivaroxaban or enoxaparin for venous thromboembolism prophylaxis; Surgical site infection: when do we have to remove the implants?; Determination of a neurologic safe zone for bicortical S1 pedicle placement; Do you need to operate on unstable spine fractures in the elderly: outcomes and mortality; Degeneration to deformity: when does the patient need both?


Bone & Joint 360
Vol. 12, Issue 3 | Pages 30 - 32
1 Jun 2023

The June 2023 Spine Roundup360 looks at: Characteristics and comparative study of thoracolumbar spine injury and dislocation fracture due to tertiary trauma; Sublingual sufentanil for postoperative pain management after lumbar spinal fusion surgery; Minimally invasive bipolar technique for adult neuromuscular scoliosis; Predictive factors for degenerative lumbar spinal stenosis; Lumbosacral transitional vertebrae and lumbar fusion surgery at level L4/5; Does recall of preoperative scores contaminate trial outcomes? A randomized controlled trial; Vancomycin in fibrin glue for prevention of SSI; Perioperative nutritional supplementation decreases wound healing complications following elective lumbar spine surgery: a randomized controlled trial.


Bone & Joint 360
Vol. 12, Issue 2 | Pages 31 - 34
1 Apr 2023

The April 2023 Spine Roundup360 looks at: Percutaneous transforaminal endoscopic discectomy versus microendoscopic discectomy; Spine surgical site infections: a single debridement is not enough; Lenke type 5, anterior, or posterior: systematic review and meta-analysis; Epidural steroid injections and postoperative infection in lumbar decompression or fusion; Noninferiority of posterior cervical foraminotomy versus anterior cervical discectomy; Identifying delays to surgical treatment for metastatic disease; Cervical disc replacement and adjacent segment disease: the NECK trial; Predicting complication in adult spine deformity surgery.


Bone & Joint 360
Vol. 12, Issue 1 | Pages 33 - 35
1 Feb 2023

The February 2023 Spine Roundup360 looks at: S2AI screws: At what cost?; Just how good is spinal deformity surgery?; Is 80 years of age too late in the day for spine surgery?; Factors affecting the accuracy of pedicle screw placement in robot-assisted surgery; Factors causing delay in discharge in patients eligible for ambulatory lumbar fusion surgery; Anterior cervical discectomy or fusion and selective laminoplasty for cervical spondylotic myelopathy; Surgery for cervical radiculopathy: what is the complication burden?; Hypercholesterolemia and neck pain; Return to work after surgery for cervical radiculopathy: a nationwide registry-based observational study.


Bone & Joint 360
Vol. 11, Issue 4 | Pages 29 - 32
1 Aug 2022


Bone & Joint 360
Vol. 11, Issue 5 | Pages 31 - 33
1 Oct 2022


Bone & Joint 360
Vol. 11, Issue 3 | Pages 43 - 45
1 Jun 2022


Bone & Joint 360
Vol. 11, Issue 2 | Pages 5 - 10
1 Apr 2022
Zheng A Rocos B


Bone & Joint 360
Vol. 11, Issue 3 | Pages 40 - 43
1 Jun 2022


Bone & Joint 360
Vol. 11, Issue 2 | Pages 44 - 47
1 Apr 2022


Bone & Joint 360
Vol. 11, Issue 2 | Pages 34 - 37
1 Apr 2022


Bone & Joint 360
Vol. 10, Issue 6 | Pages 33 - 35
1 Dec 2021


Bone & Joint 360
Vol. 10, Issue 4 | Pages 34 - 37
1 Aug 2021


Bone & Joint 360
Vol. 10, Issue 3 | Pages 24 - 26
1 Jun 2021


Bone & Joint 360
Vol. 9, Issue 6 | Pages 34 - 36
1 Dec 2020


Bone & Joint 360
Vol. 10, Issue 2 | Pages 40 - 43
1 Apr 2021


Bone & Joint 360
Vol. 9, Issue 4 | Pages 34 - 37
1 Aug 2020


Bone & Joint 360
Vol. 9, Issue 5 | Pages 35 - 37
1 Oct 2020


Bone & Joint 360
Vol. 9, Issue 3 | Pages 29 - 31
1 Jun 2020


Bone & Joint 360
Vol. 9, Issue 3 | Pages 40 - 42
1 Jun 2020


Bone & Joint 360
Vol. 10, Issue 1 | Pages 15 - 17
1 Feb 2021


Bone & Joint 360
Vol. 9, Issue 1 | Pages 35 - 39
1 Feb 2020


Bone & Joint 360
Vol. 9, Issue 2 | Pages 30 - 33
1 Apr 2020


Bone & Joint 360
Vol. 8, Issue 4 | Pages 32 - 34
1 Aug 2019


Bone & Joint 360
Vol. 8, Issue 5 | Pages 30 - 32
1 Oct 2019


Bone & Joint 360
Vol. 8, Issue 6 | Pages 18 - 19
1 Dec 2019


Bone & Joint 360
Vol. 8, Issue 6 | Pages 30 - 32
1 Dec 2019


Bone & Joint 360
Vol. 9, Issue 1 | Pages 18 - 21
1 Feb 2020


Bone & Joint 360
Vol. 8, Issue 3 | Pages 29 - 31
1 Jun 2019


Bone & Joint 360
Vol. 8, Issue 1 | Pages 3 - 7
1 Feb 2019
Eames N Golash A Birch N


Bone & Joint 360
Vol. 7, Issue 5 | Pages 24 - 27
1 Oct 2018


Bone & Joint 360
Vol. 7, Issue 2 | Pages 28 - 30
1 Apr 2018


Bone & Joint 360
Vol. 8, Issue 1 | Pages 40 - 42
1 Feb 2019


Bone & Joint 360
Vol. 7, Issue 6 | Pages 29 - 31
1 Dec 2018


Bone & Joint 360
Vol. 8, Issue 2 | Pages 31 - 33
1 Apr 2019


Bone & Joint 360
Vol. 6, Issue 6 | Pages 28 - 31
1 Dec 2017


Bone & Joint 360
Vol. 6, Issue 4 | Pages 41 - 43
1 Aug 2017
de Bono J


Bone & Joint 360
Vol. 7, Issue 5 | Pages 45 - 45
1 Oct 2018


Bone & Joint 360
Vol. 7, Issue 2 | Pages 38 - 39
1 Apr 2018


Bone & Joint 360
Vol. 7, Issue 4 | Pages 45 - 45
1 Aug 2018


Bone & Joint 360
Vol. 7, Issue 4 | Pages 1 - 2
1 Aug 2018
Ollivere B


Bone & Joint 360
Vol. 6, Issue 5 | Pages 33 - 35
1 Oct 2017


Bone & Joint 360
Vol. 7, Issue 1 | Pages 25 - 27
1 Feb 2018


Bone & Joint 360
Vol. 6, Issue 2 | Pages 25 - 27
1 Apr 2017


Bone & Joint 360
Vol. 7, Issue 4 | Pages 25 - 28
1 Aug 2018


Bone & Joint 360
Vol. 5, Issue 4 | Pages 31 - 33
1 Aug 2016


Bone & Joint 360
Vol. 5, Issue 3 | Pages 24 - 25
1 Jun 2016


Bone & Joint 360
Vol. 7, Issue 3 | Pages 14 - 16
1 Jun 2018


Bone & Joint 360
Vol. 6, Issue 3 | Pages 24 - 26
1 Jun 2017


Bone & Joint 360
Vol. 7, Issue 3 | Pages 24 - 27
1 Jun 2018


Bone & Joint 360
Vol. 6, Issue 4 | Pages 23 - 25
1 Aug 2017


Bone & Joint 360
Vol. 5, Issue 1 | Pages 23 - 24
1 Feb 2016


Bone & Joint 360
Vol. 7, Issue 2 | Pages 12 - 15
1 Apr 2018


Bone & Joint 360
Vol. 5, Issue 5 | Pages 25 - 27
1 Oct 2016


Bone & Joint 360
Vol. 5, Issue 2 | Pages 37 - 38
1 Apr 2016
Foy MA


Bone & Joint 360
Vol. 6, Issue 1 | Pages 41 - 42
1 Feb 2017
Dale-Skinner J


Bone & Joint 360
Vol. 6, Issue 1 | Pages 34 - 36
1 Feb 2017


Bone & Joint 360
Vol. 3, Issue 6 | Pages 37 - 39
1 Dec 2014
Foy MA


Bone & Joint 360
Vol. 5, Issue 6 | Pages 37 - 39
1 Dec 2016


Bone & Joint 360
Vol. 3, Issue 2 | Pages 9 - 12
1 Apr 2014

The April 2014 Knee Roundup360 looks at: mobile compression as good as chemical thromboprophylaxis; patellar injury with MIS knee surgery; tibial plateau fracture results not as good as we thought; back and knee pain; metaphyseal sleeves may be the answer in revision knee replacement; oral tranexamic acid; gentamycin alone in antibiotic spacers; and whether the jury is still out on unloader braces.


Bone & Joint 360
Vol. 5, Issue 6 | Pages 29 - 31
1 Dec 2016


Bone & Joint 360
Vol. 4, Issue 6 | Pages 20 - 21
1 Dec 2015

The December 2015 Spine Roundup360 looks at: Ketamine in scoliosis surgery; Teriparatide in osteoporotic spinal fractures; Trabecular metal in the spine?; Revision surgery a SPORTing chance?; The course of degenerative lumbar spondylolisthesis; Hip or lumbar spine: a common conundrum


Bone & Joint 360
Vol. 5, Issue 5 | Pages 32 - 34
1 Oct 2016


Bone & Joint 360
Vol. 3, Issue 3 | Pages 44 - 45
1 Jun 2014
Foy MA


Bone & Joint 360
Vol. 5, Issue 4 | Pages 42 - 43
1 Aug 2016
Foy MA


Bone & Joint 360
Vol. 5, Issue 4 | Pages 20 - 22
1 Aug 2016


Bone & Joint 360
Vol. 2, Issue 2 | Pages 23 - 25
1 Apr 2013

The April 2013 Spine Roundup360 looks at: smuggling spinal implants; local bone graft and PLIF; predicting disability with slipped discs; mortality and spinal surgery; spondyloarthropathy; brachytherapy; and fibrin mesh and BMP.


Bone & Joint 360
Vol. 4, Issue 3 | Pages 21 - 22
1 Jun 2015

The June 2015 Spine Roundup360 looks at: Less is more in pyogenic vertebral osteomyelitis; Paracetamol out of favour in spinal pain but effective for osteoarthritis; Local wound irrigation to reduce infection?; Lumbar facet joint effusion: a reliable prognostic sign?; SPORT for the octogenarian; Neurological deterioration following traumatic spinal cord injury; PROMS in spinal surgery


Bone & Joint 360
Vol. 4, Issue 2 | Pages 41 - 43
1 Apr 2015
Neal LA


Bone & Joint 360
Vol. 4, Issue 6 | Pages 2 - 5
1 Dec 2015
Dodd L Sharpe I Mandalia VI Toms AD Phillips JRA

The global economy has been facing a financial crisis. Healthcare costs are spiraling, and there is a projected £30 billion health funding gap by 2020 in the UK.1 This has prompted a drive for efficiency in healthcare provision in the UK, and in 2012, the Health and Social Care Act was introduced, heralding a fundamental change to the structure of the National Health Service, especially in the way that healthcare is funded in England.2

What is happening in the UK is a reflection of a global problem. Rationing of healthcare is a topic of much discussion; as unless spending is capped, providing healthcare will become unsustainable. Who decides how money is spent, and which services should be rationed?

In this article we aim to discuss the impact that rationing may have on orthopaedic surgery, and we will discuss our own experiences of attempts to ration local services.3 We also seek to inform and educate the general orthopaedic community on this topic.


Bone & Joint 360
Vol. 4, Issue 2 | Pages 39 - 40
1 Apr 2015
Wilson-MacDonald MJ


Bone & Joint 360
Vol. 3, Issue 6 | Pages 21 - 23
1 Dec 2014

The December 2014 Spine Roundup360 looks at: surgeon outcomes;

complications and scoliosis surgery; is sequestrectomy enough in lumbar disc prolapse?; predicting outcomes in lumbar disc herniation; sympathectomy has a direct effect on the dorsal root ganglion; and distal extensions of fusion in adolescent idiopathic scoliosis.


Bone & Joint 360
Vol. 3, Issue 3 | Pages 41 - 43
1 Jun 2014
Foy MA


Bone & Joint 360
Vol. 1, Issue 5 | Pages 21 - 24
1 Oct 2012

The October 2012 Spine Roundup360 looks at: a Japanese questionnaire at work in Iran; curve progression in degenerative lumbar scoliosis; the cause of foot drop; the issue of avoiding the spinal cord at scoliosis surgery; ballistic injuries to the cervical spine; minimally invasive oblique lumbar interbody fusion; readmission rates after spinal surgery; clinical complications and the severely injured cervical spine; and stabilising the thoracolumbar burst fracture.


Bone & Joint 360
Vol. 3, Issue 2 | Pages 32 - 65
1 Apr 2014
Adams MA

This short contribution aims to explain how intervertebral disc ‘degeneration’ differs from normal ageing, and to suggest how mechanical loading and constitutional factors interact to cause disc degeneration and prolapse. We suggest that disagreement on these matters in medico-legal practice often arises from a misunderstanding of the nature of ‘soft-tissue injuries’.