Seven patients with chronic dorsolumbar pain, stiffness and some restriction of spinal movements are described. Multiple lesions of the vertebral bodies were present. The lesions occurred at various levels and all had similar radiological characteristics, often returning to normal after several years. Vertebral changes of this type may be seen in patients with ankylosing spondylitis but for a variety of cogent reasons presented in this report our patients did not readily fall into this diagnostic group. The aetiology of these vertebral lesions is unknown but available evidence indicates that they should not be attributed to an infectious or neoplastic process.