This study was to test the hypothesis that in disc degeneration there is increased intervertebral rotation when the spine is subjected to a torsional stress. Twenty-five patients with chronic low back pain without sciatica were examined in all five lumbar disc levels by both a diagnostic and a functional CT scan, the latter performed with maximal rotation of the lumbar spine.
The results showed that the normally small rotation between the lumbar vertebrae was increased in the presence of disc bulges, and particularly in disc herniations.
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