AGEING AND DEGENERATIVE CHANGE: LIGAMENT DEGENERATION AND JOINT DEGENERATION
Ligaments also undergo degenerative changes. The interspinous ligaments often begin to degenerate in people whose spine has become so stiff that they can no longer bend forwards. The ligaments become somewhat narrower, and their structure can become disorganised by ruptures and cavities. They then become a likely source of pain and local tenderness. These changes can occur at one ligament or a series of ligaments involving various levels of the spine.
Degeneration also affects the ligamentum flavum (the more elastic ligament which lines the back of the spinal canal), particularly when the spine has become stiff, and the ligament is no longer stretched normally. It becomes more fibrous, loses its elasticity, and can become a source of pain.
Joint degeneration-When the spinal joints are subjected to abnormal wear and tear, such as repeated sprains, the cartilage which lines the joint facets becomes thinner and more fibrous, and the articular processes tend to become thicker where they are attached to the capsule of the joint. This thickening reduces the space in the spinal canal and the intervertebral gaps. Degenerated facet joints can become the site of back pain, and of pain felt over the buttock and down the thigh.
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