Chemokine profile of disc degeneration with acute or chronic pain.

Object: Disc-related disorders such as herniation and chronic degenerative disc disease (DDD) are often accompanied by acute or chronic pain. Different mediators have been identified in the development of radicular pain and DDD. Previous studies have not analyzed individual cytokine profiles discriminating between acute sciatic and chronic painful conditions, nor have they distinguished between different anatomical locations within the disc.