Introduction
Low back pain has a high incidence in patients with skeletal and muscular diseases, and is the main cause of dysfunction, worldwide.1–3 Intervertebral disc degeneration (IDD) is a major cause of low back pain; however, its specific pathogenesis is unclear.4 IDD is a prevalent degenerative disease that is usually accompanied by lower back pain, lumbar spinal stenosis, lumbar disc herniation, and sciatica.5 The progression of intervertebral disc (IVD) degeneration involves many etiological factors including heredity, aging, and biomechanical overload. However, the progression of degenerative IVD has not yet been fully elucidated.6,7 At present, common IDD treatments include symptomatic and surgical treatments; however, these treatments can only relieve the…