When there is malfunction of trauma to a joint, one of the ways the body responds is to stabilize the area by growing new bone! Over time, calcium deposits can build up, eventually recognizable as bone spurs and other abnormal bony growths. This arthritic "splinting" of adjacent bones is nature's attempt to stabilize the malfunctioning joint. If ignored or neglected long enough, the body can turn a once mobile joint into a solid block of calcium. Throughout the body, degenerative changes can be seen in other organs and systems. Many health conditions not normally considered related to "back problems", can often be traced back to nervous system impairment by the spine. While often seen in the aged, this degenerative condition is not part of the normal aging process. This type of spinal decay is the result of spinal problems which have been ignored or neglected for many years.    · Introduction  · Spinal Kinesiopathology  · Neuropathophysiology  · Myopathology  · Histopathology  · Pathophysiology     · REFERENCES · Cailliet, Rene, M.D., Pain: Mechanisms and Management, F.A. Davis Co., 1977. Cyraix, J., M.D., Orthopedic Medicine, Diagnosis of Soft Tissue Lesions, Baillere Tindell, Vol. 1, 1984. Gray, H. 1827-1861, Grays Anatomy, Edited by Peter L. Williams, 37th Edition, Churchill-Livingstone, 1989, Reprinted 1993. Hochschuler, S., M.D., Texas Back Institute, Back in Shape, Houghton Mifflin Company, 1991. Jackson, R., M.D., The Cervical Syndrome, Charles C. Thomas Co., 1977. Kellet, J., Acute Soft Tissue Injuries: A Review of the Literature, Medicine, Science of Sports and Exercise, American College of Sports Medicine, Volume 18, No. 5:489-500, 1986. Kirkaldy-Willis, W., M.D., Burton Charles, M.D., Managing Low Back Pain, 3rd edition, 1993. Leach, R., D.C., The Chiropractic Theories, 2nd Edition, Williams and Wilkins, 1986. Lewit, Karl, MUDr., Doc. Dsc, Manipulative Therapy in Rehabilitation of the Motor System, Butterworth, 1987. Roy, S., M.D., Irwin, R., M.D., Sports Medicine: Prevent, Evaluate, Management, and Rehabilitation, Prentice-Hall, Inc., 1983. Schafer, D.C., Faye, D.C., Motion Palpation and Chiropractic Technique, 2nd edition, Motion Palpation Institute, 1990. © 1999 Back Talk Systems, Inc.