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Old 01-02-2017, 03:22 PM
Blizzaga Blizzaga is offline
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Join Date: Nov 2016
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I have understood that dehydration of the disc permanently changes the chemistry inside the disc, causing the substance to be even more inflammatory (?). Unless your disc is completely gone, there is still plenty of substance to leak out. Additionally, I read that the dehydration causes the anulus fibrosus to become mechanically weaker, making it difficult to keep intact/prevent further tearing. You are correct that eventually the disc should stiffen and turn into bone (auto-fuse) when you get old enough. Then the pain should subside. But it may be a long wait and there may be a risk of the disc wearing out before fusing, which may cause other problems as well (spinal stenosis?).

One of the doctors I visited noted that I have High Intensity Zone visible in my MRIs. I can't remember if it was L4L5 or L5S1 or both, but looking at my old MRI now, I think I see it at L4L5. Here is an example of an article discussing this issue:
http://europepmc.org/abstract/MED/10766075

It is tricky. One doctor will say that the pain comes from HIZ, another says it is the fluid mechanically pressing on the nerve root, a third doctor says it is the end plates and the fourth doctor says it is inflammatory proteins. I suspect that the exact role of pain generation in discs is not fully agreed on yet. ADR surgery should fix all these potential pain generators, so it may not be necessary to know which one was the culprit.
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2015 Lost ability to sit
2016 Gradually worsening despite conservative treatment
2016 L4-L5, L5-S1 activ L success!
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