https://chiro.org/Low_Back_Pain/Uneven_Intervertebral_Motion.shtml

I have been taking a long nerd safari recently in a newly discovered chiropractic research website and finding some real gems. This particular research paper caught my eye because it provides some clues to one of many facets of risk for a spinal disc to degenerate. Most patients think of trauma, overuse and age as risk factors. But mechanical inefficiency of a spinal segment ( AKA joint is really “stuck” ) can be a big trigger for single disc degeneration, because the lack of normal motion in a segment deprives the joint of the normal lubrication it needs to repair itself from normal wear and tear. The article was also enlightening in that it describes a method for documenting and quantifying the mechanical inefficiency (different from the more routine assessment methods during patient encounter, mostly based on palpation and plain film imaging), which would not be necessary for clinical care but is necessary for research purposes