Disc degeneration contributes to the denser bone in the subendplate but not in the vertebral body in patients with lumbar spinal stenosis or disc herniation.

Background Context: It is commonly believed that decreased bone quality would lead to endplate degeneration and arthritic changes in the facet joints, and thus accelerated disc degeneration (DD). However, some more detailed studies of vertebral bone structure have found that bone mineral density (BMD) in the vertebral body is increased rather than decreased in moderate or greater disc degeneration. The relationship between BMD and DD still needs further study.