While the cause of low-back pain is unknown in many patients, a significant percentage is thought to be due to degeneration of the intervertebral disc. Because of the severe structural demands placed on the spine, and the epidemiologicalassociation between physical activity and disc degeneration, mechanical forces are thought to be a central etiologic factor. Therefore, precise knowledge of the cascade of biologic events associated with disc degeneration, and the means by which they arecoupled to physical loading, would be invaluable for developing improved guidelines for maintaining disc health and for directing tissue repair. The aim of this study was to develop an in vivo mouse model in which disc degeneration is induced through theapplication of a precisely controlled and quantified mechanical load.
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