RESEARCH ARTICLE
Pathophysiology and Biomechanics of the Aging Spine
Michael Papadakis*, 1, Georgios Sapkas2, Elias C Papadopoulos1, Pavlos Katonis3
Article Information
Identifiers and Pagination:
Year: 2011Volume: 5
First Page: 335
Last Page: 342
Publisher ID: TOORTHJ-5-335
DOI: 10.2174/1874325001105010335
Article History:
Received Date: 16/6/2011Revision Received Date: 25/7/2011
Acceptance Date: 29/7/2011
Electronic publication date: 19/9/2011
Collection year: 2011

open-access license: This is an open access article licensed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution Non-Commercial License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/3.0/) which permits unrestricted, non-commercial use, distribution and reproduction in any medium, provided the work is properly cited.
Abstract
Aging of the spine is characterized by two parallel but independent processes: the reduction of bone mineral density and the development of degenerative changes. The combination of degeneration and bone mass reduction contribute, to a different degree, to the development of a variety of lesions. This results in a number of painful and often debilitating disorders. The present review constitutes a synopsis of the pathophysiological processes that take place in the aging spine as well as of the consequences these changes have on the biomechanics of the spine. The authors hope to present a thorough yet brief overview of the process of aging of the human spine.