The purpose of the current study is to determine (1) whether the ligamentum flavum of spinal stenosis patients has more severe elastin degradation and fibrosis compared to that of patients with disc herniation and (2) whether there is an increased expression of MMPs in the ligamentum flavum of spinal stenosis patients compared to that of disc herniation patients and (3) the source of the MMPs within the ligamentum flavum tissues. This evidence concerns the gene ELN and spinal stenosis.