Once a disc is dehydrated, wouldn't it have less inflammatory substance to leak out? I thought annular tears mostly cause pain due to the nucleus pulposus leaking out and causing inflammation with the nerves. I've also heard that the tears cause nerve fibers to grow within the disc, which can contribute to discogenic pain and even referred pain down the leg.
If the disc is dehydrated, I don't see how there would be more fluid to leak out. Isn't this why they say that as you get older, discogenic pain tends to decrease, because the disc stiffens and there is less movement and/or leakage? I'm dealing with an HIZ tear in a degenerating discright now, so if you've come across any info regarding this, I'd love to see it.
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HIZ tear at l5 s1 with mild disc height reduction and mild dehydration.
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