Spinal marrow changes are associated with age and disc degeneration
A review examined how often Modic changes occur in lumbar spine disorders and which characteristics accompany them. The associations do not establish what causes these changes.
Based on the published abstract. The full paper may contain additional methods, results and limitations.
The 30-second takeaway
Modic changes were associated with older age, disc degeneration, vertebral endplate changes, vertebral slippage, and physical labor in this review. The analysis describes characteristics that occur together, rather than showing that changing any particular factor would prevent the marrow changes. Several other proposed factors, including smoking and body mass index, had statistically nonsignificant associations.
The abstract labels a negative estimate as an odds ratio for spinal curvature, making that estimate uninterpretable as written. It also does not specify the observation period behind its reported incidence.
What researchers found
Reported frequency of lumbar Modic changes
Pooled across included studies, with no comparator or observation period specified; the authors call this percentage an incidence.
What these changes describe
Modic changes concern bone marrow beneath the endplates of vertebrae. The review examined their occurrence and associated characteristics in the lower spine; it did not test a treatment or report whether reducing them improves symptoms.
Reading the negative results
The review did not find statistically significant associations for sex, smoking, body mass index, or disc herniation. Those findings leave uncertainty; they do not prove that these factors have no relationship with Modic changes.
The original publication
Incidence and risk factors for modic changes in the lumbar spine: a systematic review and meta-analysis.
Cao Z, Zhang M, Jia J et al.
Front Endocrinol (Lausanne) · 2025
- PubMed ID
- 40810076
- Record checked
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