Evaluation of degenerative changes of the vertebral column in usually underrated because half the patients with these changes have no clinical complaints. Incorrect evaluation can however lead to an incorrect therapeutic procedure and sometimes to serious errors. The most important ones include dorsal osteophytes, spondylarthritis which frequently lead to compression of nervous structures. It is also important to evaluate the anomaly leading to premature development of degenerative changes – numerical variants – assymetric vertebrae, spinal stenosis.

        Key words: X-ray pictures, spinal column, degenerative changes, spinal stenosis, insta- bility