It is well known that the 11th and 12th thoracic vertebrae, and the first lumbar vertebra, are frequently the sites of crush fractures as a result of trauma but this highly-stressed junction between the thoracic and the lumbar spine is relatively less affected by degenerative disease (unlike the lumbosacral junction, where degenerative lesions are much more common).
The reason that degenerative changes at the thoracolumbar junction are rarer than those in the lower lumbar segments is to be looked for in the bigger loading of the lumbar spine. Anyway, disc herniations (as Dr. Cornips mentions) at the thoraco-lumbar junction also happen, and unfortunately they may be accompanied by serious neurologic deficit. Oppositely, fractures occur more frequently at the thoracolumbar junction because of the biomechanics of this region - passage from more mobile to less mobile segments. The trauma forces of bending and torque have direct and stronger vectors at this junction.
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