Whether a patient experiences pain or not largely depends on the location of the affected disc and the amount of pressure that is being put on the spinal column and surrounding nerve roots. Nevertheless, degenerative disc disease is one of the most common sources of back pain and affects approximately 30 million people every year. With symptomatic degenerative disc disease, the pain can vary depending on the location of the affected disc. A degenerated disc in the lower back can result in lower back pain, sometimes radiating to the hips, as well as pain in the buttocks, thighs or legs. If pressure is being placed on the nerves by exposed nucleus pulposus, sporadic tingling or weakness through the knees and legs can also occur. A degenerated disc in the upper neck will often result in pain to the neck, arm, shoulders and hands; tingling in the fingers may also be evident if nerve impingement is occurring. Pain is most commonly felt or worsened by movements such as sitting, bending, lifting and twisting. After an injury, some discs become painful because of inflammation and the pain comes and goes. Some people have nerve endings that penetrate more deeply into the anulus fibrosus (outer layer of the disc) than others, making discs more likely to generate pain. In the alternative, the healing of trauma to the outer anulus fibrosus may result in the innervation of the scar tissue and pain impulses from the disc, as these nerves become inflamed by nucleus pulposus material.
In this method of imaging, radiolabeled technetium is injected into the body where it binds to cardiac amyloid deposits. A subsequent scan is taken to determine where the tracer stays, therefore highlighting the amyloid deposition in the heart. This method allows for a noninvasive definitive diagnosis of cardiac amyloidosis (as in the past an endomyocardial biopsy was required)

Mass spectrometry
Mass spectrometry can be used to determine whether the protein is light-chain or familial amyloidosis by identifying the protein subunit. Treatments
Treatments differ according to the type of amyloidosis present. The majority of treatment is aimed at preserving heart function and treating heart failure symptoms.Light chain (AL-CM) Treatment: Since the cause of this subtype of cardiac amyloidosis is the excessive production of free light chains, the major goal of treatment is the reduction in concentration of light chains. For light-chain amyloidosis, the use of FLC assays and NT-proBNP levels can be used to monitor the progression of amyloidosis and any response to treatments. One of the major routes to decrease the production of these excess light chains is to kill the abnormal cells that are producing them. Chemotherapeutic agents such as melphalan or bortezomib can be used to kill off the abnormal cell line that is producing the free light chains. Following chemotherapy, a bone marrow transplant can be utilized to restore the normal cell lines. There are newer medications (ixazomib, carfilzomib, daratumumab, elotuzumab) under research for the treatment of multiple myeloma that can help to decrease the production of free light chains.