Intervertebral Disc Degeneration Can Lead to “Stress-Shielding” of the Anterior Vertebral Body

Severe disc degeneration causes the anterior vertebral body to be stress-shielded during the usual erect posture, and yet severely loaded whenever the spine is flexed. This could help to explain why this region is frequently the site of osteoporotic fracture, and why forward bending movements often precipitate the injury.