This study was undertaken to document an association of degenerative lumbar disc disease in patients with thoracolumbar Scheuermann's disease, During a 14-month period, 8.4% of 95 of the persons referred to our center for magnetic resonance imaging of the lumbar spine demonstrated changes of both thoracolumbar Scheuermann's disease and degenerative disc disease in the lower lumbar spine. All investigated patients were younger than 21 years. We theorize that the thoracolumbar Scheuermann's disease and the associated degenerative disc disease of the lower lumbar spine are manifestations of an intrinsic defect of the discs and /or cartilagenous end plates, which results in inadequate nutrition and structural weakness or combination of both, and early degeneration.
