Vertebral endplates are positioned between your vertebrae and your intervertebral discs in your spine, and they act as a layer of protection between the harder vertebrae and the softer spinal discs. They are also a passageway for blood and nutrients to make their way into the spinal discs. Like any other structure in the spine, damage or degeneration of the vertebral endplates can lead to uncomfortable localized symptoms. In today’s blog, we explore some ways you can prevent and treat vertebral endplate degeneration.
Anatomy And Function Of Vertebral Endplates
Each vertebral endplate is comprised of two specific layers, the cartilaginous endplate and the bony endplate:
- The Cartilaginous Endplate – The cartilaginous endplate attaches to the vertebral disc and can range in size from 0.1 millimeters to 2.0 millimeters depending where it is located in the spine (endplates will be smaller in the neck and get larger as you traverse down the spine).
- The Bony Endplate – The bone endplate is a layer of porous bony that attaches to the vertebrae and is generally smaller in thickness, ranging from about 0.2-0.8 millimeters.
These endplates help the entire spinal column absorb the stress of your body as you go about your day. Aside from providing strength and stability to your spinal column, the endplates also help to protect the more sensitive spinal discs. The endplates also serve an essential function in providing nutrients to the spinal discs. Unlike your vertebrae, the spinal discs do not receive their own blood supply, but the porousness of the endplates serve as a vessel through which essential blood and nutrients can flow from the capillaries in the bone to cells in the discs.
Like other structures in your spine, your endplates can deteriorate as a result of injury or the natural aging process, but degeneration can also be sped up by factors like smoking, excess body weight or an inactive lifestyle. Mild endplate degeneration doesn’t typically lead to symptoms, but more severe degeneration can lead to pain, discomfort and inflammation, and it is also associated with an increased risk of other spinal conditions like disc herniation and spinal stenosis.
Spinal endplate degeneration can be viewed with the help of an MRI, but imaging is not always necessary for a few different reasons. For starters, some endplate degeneration can be assumed in older adults, and because many issues related to a loss in spinal column height are treated with similar measures, your doctor may opt to move forward without imaging unless they feel compelled to rule out a more serious issue. In many instances, problems like endplate degeneration, spinal disc degeneration or shifted spinal discs will be treated similarly, with a combination of the following conservative treatments at the outset:
- Rest followed by controlled low-impact activity
- Physical therapy
- Hot/Cold therapy
- Anti-inflammatories
Of course, these treatments are most effective when paired with other sensible lifestyle modifications, like increased exercise, weight management and becoming tobacco free.
In cases of severe endplate degeneration that present with other issues in the spine like disc degeneration or spinal stenosis, surgery may be the recommended course of care. Although the exact procedure may be dictated by your individual issue, oftentimes a spinal fusion procedure is performed to limit painful movement of the endplates and vertebral sections. This operation tends to be highly successful at limiting symptoms, but you do sacrifice some mobility as a result of the fusion, and lifestyle changes will also be recommended so that similar issues don’t develop in other areas of you spine.
For more information about vertebral endplate degeneration and related spinal issues like disc herniation or spinal stenosis, reach out to Dr. Jackman and the team at The Midwest Spine & Brain Institute today at (651) 430-3800.
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