In Western European countries there is an incidence of traumatic spinal cord injury (SCI) of 16 to 19.4 new cases per million inhabitants per year. Since World War II, European physicians have been fundamental in the development of SCI medicine, starting from Sir Ludwig Guttman, who developed the idea of the integrated treatment of these patients. More recently, scientists from Germany and Switzerland have developed a new rehabilitative approach, Body Weight Support Treadmill Training, based on the concept of activity-based therapy and aimed at restoring walking in SCI patients. This review highlights issues concerning different organizational systems and health policies within and outside Europe.

Purpose of ReviewThe purpose of this review was to desccribe the main processes related to the ageing spine, studied through different imaging methods. Recent Findings Degenerative changes in the spine represent a progressive and irreversible involutionary process. They are constantly growing in relation to the increase in the average age of the population; therefore, they constitute an important health problem with enormous socio-economic significance. Summary The role of the radiologist is fundamental in the evaluation of degenerative processes affecting the bone and intervertebral discs and in the diagnosis of complications.