Discopathy and degenerative disc disease: Pain beyond anatomopathological determinism

Santoro C, D’Oro M, Compierchio A. Pathos 2026; 33.3. Online 2026, Sep 24

Abstract
The aim of this review is to analyse the data available in the literature concerning the dynamics associated with pain perception in cases of discopathy and intervertebral disc degeneration. Determined by multifactorial factors, within the optimisation of the assessment processes typical of evidence-based medicine (EBM), discopathy – that is, intervertebral disc degeneration – and pain in the lumbar or cervical regions represent different stages of the same degenerative process, clearly linked to dysfunctional mechanical conditions. The complexity of the diagnostic procedure stems from the difficulty of distinguishing clinical findings from imaging findings, or rather, of interpreting the latter in the light of a pain physiology that has been largely overlooked, which encompasses aspects of histology, neurophysiology and neuropathology.