- Anatomy of The Spine
- Back Pain in Children
- Caring for your Spine
- Emerging Spinecare Trends
- Evaluation of Spinal Disorders
- Exercise and The Spine
- Intervention - Spinal Disorders
- Intervertebral Disc
- Non Surgical Options
- Nutrition and Spinecare
- Options for Spine Treatments
- Pregnancy and Back Pain
- Prevalence of Spine Disorders
- Sleep and the Spine
- Spinecare Introduction
- Spinehealth and Disease
- Surgical Interventions
- Treatment with Medications
- Understanding Back Pain
Spinecare Topics
Intervertebral Disc
Classification of Disc Disorders
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Classification of Disc Disorders
It is important that physicians of various disciplines agree and understand the use of common terminology to describe different disease processes. Standardization of language or terminology is often a challenge. In 1995 the North American Spine Society (NASS) initiated efforts to standardize the use of terminology as it applies to various disorders of the intervertebral disc. They received assistance from the American Society of Spine Radiology (ASSR) and the American Society of Neuroradiology (ASNR). The efforts lead to the development of recommended classifications, definitions and criteria for different disc disorders at various stages of development. The use of commonly accepted and understood terminology helps physicians accurately communicate with their patients and with each other. Consistent terminology improves the type of care recommended to patients with spine disorders.
The following disc disorder classifications and their descriptions are derived form the nomenclature and classification of lumbar disc pathology, recommendations of the combined task forces of the North American Spine Society, American Society of Spine Radiology and American Society of Neuroradiology.
Normal disc: This term is used to describe a young intervertebral disc that is structurally normal. A symmetric disc bulge which involves between 50 and 100% of the circumference of the disc is not considered a form of herniation and is more likely to represent a normal state.
Disc with Congenital/Development Variation: This classification includes those discs, which are structurally abnormal as the result of hereditary considerations. This includes disc that undergo structural (morphological) changes due to adaptation to abnormal growth of the spine.
Degenerative/Traumatic Disc Lesion: This is a broad category which includes discs that present with degenerative changes, evidence of traumatic compromise or a combination of both. This category includes degenerative changes that may be age-related.
The following disc disorder classifications and their descriptions are derived form the nomenclature and classification of lumbar disc pathology, recommendations of the combined task forces of the North American Spine Society, American Society of Spine Radiology and American Society of Neuroradiology.
Normal disc: This term is used to describe a young intervertebral disc that is structurally normal. A symmetric disc bulge which involves between 50 and 100% of the circumference of the disc is not considered a form of herniation and is more likely to represent a normal state.
Disc with Congenital/Development Variation: This classification includes those discs, which are structurally abnormal as the result of hereditary considerations. This includes disc that undergo structural (morphological) changes due to adaptation to abnormal growth of the spine.
Degenerative/Traumatic Disc Lesion: This is a broad category which includes discs that present with degenerative changes, evidence of traumatic compromise or a combination of both. This category includes degenerative changes that may be age-related.
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