Degenerative musculoskeletal disorders are very frequent diseases in human beings; the pathology of these has been a subject of much research before, using a wide spectrum of examining methods. DSC is a well-established method for the investigations of thermal consequences of alterations in biological systems. With foregoing studies, the authors have demonstrated the feasibility of DSC in the investigation of the intact hyaline cartilage and intervertebral disc (IVD). The aim of this study was to establish the thermograms of hyaline cartilage and intervertebral disc degeneration according to different stages. The calorimetric experiments with osteoarthritic knee joint samples and degenerated discs repeatedly demonstrated that the method is feasible for the investigation of tissues of the musculoskeletal system. The studies clearly demonstrated thermal differences between various stages of osteoarthritis and intervertebral disc degeneration. (C) 2003 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.