Abbreviations

AF

anulus fibrosus

AUC

area-under-the-curve

CI

confidence interval

CGRP

calcitonin gene related peptide

CT

computed tomography

CSGE

conformation sensitive gel electrophoresis

DRG

dorsal root ganglion

EMG

needle electromyography

ENMG

electroneuromyography

FIM

Finnish marks

Gd-DTPA

Gadolinium-diethylenetriamine pentaacetic acid

HNP

herniated nucleus pulposus

IL

interleukin

INOS

inducible nitric oxide synthase

MRI

magnetic resonance imaging

NSAID

nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drug

NHP

Nottingham Health Profile

NO

nitric oxide

NP

nucleus pulposus

PCR

polymerase chain reaction

PG

proteoglycan

PLA2

phospholipase A2

RCT

randomized controlled trial

SLR

straight leg raising

SP

substance P

TE

echo time

TLS

thoracolumbar Scheuermann’s disease

TNFa

tumor necrosis factor a

TR

repetition time

Trp2 allele

sequence variation in the COL9A2 gene changing a codon for glutamine to one for tryptophan in the α2 chain of collagen IX

Trp3 allele

sequence variation in the COL9A3 gene changing a codon for arginine to one for tryptophan in the α3 chain of collagen IX

VAS

visual analog scale

VIP

vasoactive intestinal peptide