A Schmorl’s node is a small area where disc material has pushed up or down into the bone of the vertebra next to it.
What is a Schmorl’s node?
- The disc pushes straight up or down through the endplate (the bone’s top or bottom surface) into the vertebra. It does not push backward toward the nerves.
- They are common and often found by chance. Many date from the teen years.
- Most cause no symptoms at all and need nothing.
What do Schmorl’s nodes indicate?
A Schmorl’s node on its own is usually a chance finding. Once in a while an acute one is painful. When it is, it may be reported along with endplate edema (fluid buildup in the bone).
Remember the general rule. Findings like this one are common in people with no pain at all. They get steadily more common with age. A finding on a report is not a diagnosis until someone matches it to your symptoms and your exam. See understanding your MRI report.
Bring your scan and report in, and we will go through it with you. Call us or request an appointment.
How common are Schmorl’s nodes?
A Schmorl’s node is disc material that has pushed straight through the endplate into the vertebra above or below. It does not push backward toward the nerves. They are very common. Imaging finds them in a large minority of adults, and anatomy studies find them in a large share. Nearly all are old and painless. Many form in the teen years and are noticed decades later on a scan done for another reason. A new node with marrow edema around it can hurt for a while as it settles. That is a different situation from a chance finding. We tell them apart by how the bone around the node looks, not by the node itself.
Frequently asked questions
Do Schmorl’s nodes need treatment?
Almost never. They are one of the more harmless findings on a spine report.
This is set out in Understanding Your MRI Report.
Is a Schmorl’s node the same as a herniated disc?
It is disc material pushed up or down into the bone, not backward toward a nerve. So it does not cause sciatica. The word herniation in the report can mislead you here.
The backward kind is explained in Disc Bulge vs Herniation.
Can a Schmorl’s node cause back pain?
Almost never on its own. An acute node with marrow changes may cause symptoms for a while. A chance one found years later is not treated.
See Modic Changes.
Should this change what I do?
A Schmorl’s node found by chance does not limit what you can do. Say it was reported along with marrow changes, and your pain is new and in one spot. Then that mix is worth talking about, not the node alone.
Do Schmorl’s nodes require surgery?
Almost never. Most Schmorl’s nodes need no treatment of any kind. They are old, painless and often date from the teen years. A chance node found years later is not treated. A new node with marrow edema around it can hurt for a while as it settles. That is a different situation, worth talking over with us. But the node itself is one of the more harmless findings on a spine report.
What are the symptoms of a Schmorl’s node?
Usually none. Most are found by chance on a scan done for another reason. The disc material pushes up or down into the bone, not backward toward the nerves. So a Schmorl’s node does not cause sciatica. The exception is a new node. It can be painful for a while. It is usually reported along with marrow or endplate edema in the bone around it.
Sources
- Teraguchi M et al. Prevalence and distribution of Schmorl node and endplate signal change, and correlation with disc degeneration in a population-based cohort: the Wakayama Spine Study. European spine journal : official publication of the European Spine Society, the European Spinal Deformity Society, and the European Section of the Cervical Spine Research Society, 2024. PubMed 37907767
- Yin R et al. Distribution of Schmorl nodes in the lumbar spine and their relationship with lumbar disk degeneration and range of motion. Spine, 2015. PubMed 25341975
- Teraguchi M et al. The association of combination of disc degeneration, end plate signal change, and Schmorl node with low back pain in a large population study: the Wakayama Spine Study. The spine journal : official journal of the North American Spine Society, 2015. PubMed 25433277
- Teraguchi M et al. Sex-Specific Associations between Schmorl Nodes, Modic Change, and Osteoporosis in the Low Thoracolumbar Spine in a Large Population-Based Study: The Wakayama Spine Study. Spine surgery and related research, 2026. PubMed 41988011
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