Schmorl's nodes: clinical significance and implications for the bioarchaeological record

Abstract

Back pain is one of the major contributors to disability and loss of productivity in modern populations. However, osteological correlates of back pain are often absent or, as yet, unidentified. As bioarchaeologists depend on osteological evidence to interpret quality of life in the past, back pain, with its profound effects on modern populations, is largely overlooked in archaeological samples. This study addresses this shortcoming in bioarchaeological analysis by exploring the relationship between a defined vertebral osteological lesion, the Schmorl's node, and its effect on quality of life in a clinical population. Using patient insight, healthcare practitioner diagnoses and MR imaging analyses, this study investigates:(1) Schmorl's nodes and sociodemographic factors; (2) the number, location and quantitative aspects (e.g. length, depth, area) of Schmorl's nodes, and how these influence the reporting of pain; (3) the dynamic effects of Schmorl's nodes, in combination with other variables, in the reporting of pain; and (4) the perception and impact of pain that patients attribute to Schmorl's nodes with regard to quality-of-life issues. The results of this study indicate that Schmorl's nodes located in the central portion of the vertebral body are significantly associated with patient reporting of pain, and that the presence of osteophytes, in the affected vertebral region, may increase the likelihood that an individual will report pain. This finding provides bioarchaeologists with an osteological correlate to begin interpreting the presence and impact of pain in archaeological populations, with implications for scoring Schmorl's nodes.

Using dental and activity indicators in order to explore possible sex differences in an adult rural medieval population from Thebes (Greece)

“…The simultaneous presence of Schmorl's nodes and osteophytes on a joint surface is associated with pain and more intense physical activity (Faccia and Williams 2008). This positive correlation between the above indicators is also noted in our population, although it is not statistically significant.…”

“…This term has been mainly adopted to apply to the end reUnauthenticated Download Date | 5/13/18 8:30 AM sult of the prolapsed disc, or the lesion that eventually is formed on the surface of the affected vertebral body (Faccia and Williams 2008). Schmorl's nodes result from: a) congenital defects of the spine; b) age (senescent processes); and c) traumatic events (Resnick and Niwayama 1978).…”

Schmorl’s nodes distribution in the human spine and its possible etiology

“…The majority of studies using archeological skeletal material also determined that SNs primarily concentrate in the thoracic region [6,16] thus suggesting that SNs etiology is probably independent of the time dimension.…”

“…SNs can appear on any spinal vertebra but tend to concentrate in the lower thoracic and lumbar regions. This is usually attributed to the load on the vertebrae, which increases as we descend along the spine [2,4,[6][7][8].…”

Evolución Humana Y Antropología Virtual: Una Propuesta Para La Docencia Y La Investigación

“…Más específicamente, en el ámbito de la antropología, la paleontología y otros campos de estudios afines, los métodos 3D imaging están permitiendo a los científicos mediante la adquisición de imágenes mediante tomografías computerizadas (TC), resonancias magnéticas (RM) e imágenes terahertzianas (THz) expandir e implementar sus investigaciones (Tocheri, 2009): (Allam et al, 2011Buisktra, 2010;Conlogue et al, 2008;Faccia & Williams, 2008;Öhrström et al, 2010;Panagiotopoulou, 2009;Saita et al, 2011). Estas tecnologías presentan la desventaja de no ser portables (imposibilitando así el estudio de aquellos materiales que no se pueden transportar) y que el procesado y estudio de este tipo de imágenes 3D requiere de un software caro y de personal especializado.…”