Degenerative Disc Disease

What is Degenerative Disc Disease?

Degenerative disc disease occurs in people during the typical aging process. And is often referred to as arthritis of the back or osteoarthritis.

When explaining spinal discs, they are commonly compared to shock absorbers between the vertebrae of your spine. The discs offer flexibility in your back, allowing you to bend and twist. As we age, it’s common for wear and tear to occur. Once this happens, the discs begin to break down and are not as effective as they once were when you were younger.

Over time, just about everyone’s discs will break down. Although not everyone will feel pain. If you are experiencing back pain and the cause is from worn-out spinal discs, you have degenerative disc disease (osteoarthritis.)

Causes of Degenerative Disk Disease

When we look at spinal discs, they are made up of a soft inner core and a tough outer lining. The disks change in ways that may cause degenerative disk disease, such as:

• Dry out. When we are born, the discs in our spine are mostly made up of water. As we age, they lose water and get thinner and thinner. Flatter spinal discs can’t absorb shocks as well. When we lose this water, there is less cushion or padding between our vertebrae. This can lead to other problems in your spine that may cause pain.
• Crack. As we go through life, the stress of our everyday activities and minor injuries over the years can cause tiny tears in the wall, which contains nerves. When there are tears close to the nerve, this can become painful. And if the barrier breaks down, the core of the disc may push through the cracks. Therefore, creating a bulging or slipped disc. This is called a slipped or herniated disc. It can affect nearby nerves.

Degenerative Disc Disease Symptoms

When experiencing degenerative disc disease, you typically feel a sharp or constant pain in your neck and back. Depending on where the damaged disc is located and the other changes it has caused, your exact symptoms will vary.

Common signs include pain that:

• Is in your lower back, buttocks, or upper thighs
• Comes and goes. It can be nagging or severe and can last from a few days to a few months.
• Gets better when you change positions or lie down
• Feels worse when you sit and better when you move and walk
• Feels worse when you bend, lift, or twist

Sometimes, degenerative disc disease causes numbness and tingling in your legs and arms. Often causing your leg muscles to become weak. If this occurs, it means that the damaged discs may be affecting the nerves near your spine.

Treatments for Osteoarthritis

The main goal is to ease pain and prevent more damage. Depending on your level of discomfort and injury, the physician will recommend what’s best. Treatment may include:

Non-Surgical Treatments for osteoarthritis:

• Medication: Over-the-counter pain relievers like aspirin and ibuprofen will help fight inflammation. They can ease your pain and lessen swelling. Your doctor may prescribe a different drug for pain if necessary.
• Steroid Injections. Injections are strong medications to ease the pain, swelling, and inflammation of osteoarthritis. Your doctor may suggest you get a shot in the epidural space in your back, a fluid-filled area around the spinal cord, or get one in your nerve or muscle.
• Physical Therapy. Specific movements make the muscles in your neck and back strengthen. This supports the spine. In most cases, physical therapy and pain medication are enough for long-term relief of spinal arthritis.

Surgical Treatments for osteoarthritis:

Surgical treatment for osteoarthritis is the last option in most cases. Once conservative methods have failed, your physician will then talk to you about surgery and what is recommended for your condition.

• Discectomy. This surgical option removes the injured part of the disk. When this is performed, it helps take the pressure off your nerves.
• Disc Removal. In this procedure, your doctor will remove the damaged disc and replace it with an artificial one.
• Spinal Fusion. This procedure is done for severe cases. Your surgeon will permanently connect the bones together in your spine after removing the disc.

If you are experiencing degenerative disc disease (arthritis of the spine,) call us at 888-409-8006. One of our spine surgeons will be happy to assist. We offer spine specialists located throughout South Florida; Boca Raton, Deerfield Beach, Coral Springs & Plantation.