Consider over-the-counter medications to fight inflammation or prescription medications for pain. Consider physical therapy to strengthen your neck and back muscles (which help to support your spine) Practice back-friendly postures including lifting safely and using good posture when sitting, standing, and walking.
Degenerative Disc Disease is not life threatening, but if left untreated, can lead to debilitating pain, permanent damage, and serious conditions such as spinal osteoarthritis, herniated discs, spinal stenosis and potentially paralysis.
First, quickly reduce the pain to a tolerable level. Engage in a controlled, progressive exercise and active rehabilitation. Identify and act on any behavioral and activity modifications needed to minimize aggravation to the disc. Improve hydration and nutrition to foster improved spinal disc health.
As degeneration progresses further, the disks dry out even more and may begin pushing on nerves. A person could develop a ruptured or bulging disk. Often, people have a bulging or ruptured disk with no symptoms, but sometimes this can cause symptoms in one or both legs.
Physical therapy: Participating in strengthening and stretching exercises with a trained healthcare provider. Medications: Taking nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs), muscle relaxers or steroids. Steroid injections: Injecting medicine near your spinal nerves, disk or joints to reduce inflammation and pain.
Collapsing Stage (Stage 4)
And because there is no protective layer between the bones of the spine, nerve damage can occur. The bones may even begin to fuse as the body works to compensate for the lack of a protective disc.
Periods of severe pain that come and go. These last from a few days to a few months before getting better. They can range from nagging pain to disabling pain. Pain can affect the low back, buttocks and thighs or the neck, depending on where the affected disc is, radiating to the arms and hands.
In order to be eligible for Social Security Disability, your disc disease has had to progress into a severe form that has impacted the vertebrae so it causes chronic pain and impacts your ability to stand or sit for significant periods of time, which can be made evident through medical imaging.
Chronic pain from degenerative disc disease that is severe and completely disabling does happen in some cases, but is relatively rare.
If back or neck pain caused by degenerative disc disease doesn't respond to medication or therapeutic injections, NYU Langone doctors may recommend a surgical procedure. Surgeons may remove some or all of a damaged disc, take pressure off a pinched nerve, or eliminate movement between the bones of the spine.
he main reason to perform more tests is if the symptoms are getting worse despite treatment, if the pain is severe or if you have signs of nerve damage — particularly nerve damage that is getting worse. The signs of worsening nerve damage would be increasing tingling or numbness, weakness and sometimes increasing pain.
Yes, there is disability benefits available for people with degenerative disc disease. Depending on your age — and the age of your friends, family, and colleagues — you probably know someone with back problems. Having pain, stiffness, and soreness in your back can be incredibly debilitating.
Long-term Outcomes of Degenerative Disc Disease
The degenerative process of the spinal disc may start gradually or suddenly, but progresses over 2 to 3 decades from severe and at times even disabling bouts of pain to a state in which the spine is restabilized and the pain is diminished. Spinal osteoarthritis.
For a vast majority of degenerative disc disease sufferers, the condition will eventually resolve itself. For a select few, however, the condition will continue to get worse and lead to reduced range of motion throughout the aging process.
Some people may need a brace, cane, walker, or even wheelchair, depending on the severity of their condition. Following your doctor's instructions is an important part of managing your DDD.
People with degenerative disk disease need to avoid foods that promote inflammation and physical activities involving heavy lifting and twisting. Additionally, a person should avoid smoking, if applicable, slouching, and consuming more than moderate amounts of alcohol.
Like any joint tissue, a spinal disc may degenerate with age. This “wear and tear” on the disc, a.k.a. disc degeneration, can lead to intense and severe pain. Pain flare-ups have two main causes. For one, disc degeneration will leak out proteins, which can cause inflammation, and trigger tenderness and muscle spasms.
Yes, degenerative disc disease can be disabling. The weakening of your discs can lead to excruciating, chronic pain worsened by work activities. Whether or not your degenerative disc disease is classified as a disability will depend on the severity and frequency of your pain.
While there is no way to totally correct degenerative disc disease, for the vast majority of people suffering low back pain, sciatica, neck pain, or arm pain and tingling due to this condition, they can successfully manage their pain and regain their lives – while avoiding surgery.
The pain often radiates throughout the arms, buttocks, and extremities. Fatigue can increase with prolonged periods of sitting, standing or walking.
By the age of 35, approximately 30% of people will show evidence of disc degeneration at one or more levels. By the age of 60, more than 90% of people will show evidence of some disc degeneration. Degeneration itself is normal, and does not necessarily cause pain.
Surgical treatment is an option in cases of severe, debilitating lumbar degenerative disc disease, and is usually only recommended after at least 6 months of nonsurgical treatment. Most cases of degenerative disc disease can be managed using nonsurgical methods, and do not require surgery for effective pain relief.
The spine's intervertebral discs perform many roles essential to maintaining spinal health and function. Multilevel degenerative disc disease means disc degeneration is occurring in more than one of the spine's intervertebral discs and in more than one spinal section.
Stage 3 – Stabilization
This is the late stage of spinal degeneration. At this stage severe remodeling of the bones and decrease of joint space causes for a severe loss of mobility. Bone spurs continue to grow and can narrow the spinal canal, which presses onto the spinal cord or nerve roots.