Degeneration of end plates and the nucleus pulposus of the lumbar intervertebral disc in 100 patients with low back pain and/or leg pain, were evaluated by plain films. Degeneration of end plates progressed with age. Degeneration of mucleus pulpousus, disc protrusion and disc space narrowing progressed with the degeneration of end plates. The end plates degenerated more than the nucleus pulposus at all levels and all ages. Therefore, we concluded degeneration of end plates is preliminary to degeneration of the nucleus pulposus in intervertebral disc degeneration.
