Answer to Question 10

This website is being totally rearranged in the autumn of 2011 to concentrate on the one central point described on the website front page.

On that page there is a list of questions and the answers are on these linked pages. These answers may be complete, preliminary or not yet done. Hopefully most will be done by late October 2011

There may be no connection between the proposed warning pain and disk degeneration. Degeneration is an ageing effect and evolution will presumably minimise it. The warning pain will be enhanced by evolution to make it effective.

On the other hand the mechanism of degeneration may be an essential part of the warning pain. It appears that degeneration starts with cracks in the posterior annulus. The nucleus to some extent "leaks" outwards along these cracks while nerves grow inwards from the periphery along the same cracks.

This might be the mechanism by which the back pain causing nerves come into direct contact with the material of the nucleus.

It could even be argued that evolution will have accelerated the tendency for degeneration in human discs because it is a necessary part of the back pain which protects the spine against the mechanical collapse (and consequent prolapse) described in the answer to question 5

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