Degenerative Disc Disease (DDD) is a condition that occurs due to the natural wear and tear of spinal discs. Have you ever wondered why your back doesn’t feel as flexible as it used to? It is mainly due to aging, as the discs that cushion the spinal bones lose their flexibility with age. Due to this, they are unable to absorb shock as efficiently.
It can be surprising to know that DDD is not as uncommon in people above the age of 40, but the severity can differ from person to person. Most people think it is a disease, as its name suggests, but in contrast, it is just a part of aging. So, understanding DDD can help you maintain a healthy spine by identifying symptoms earlier and getting the right treatment.
What is Degenerative Disc Disease?
With age, your spine can start to feel stiffer or less flexible. It can be due to degenerative disc disease, which moves through different stages as it progresses. The beginning of this disease occurs with the loss of hydration from your spine. It is what makes your spinal discs less elastic. As a result, the flexibility keeps reducing slowly, and your discs keep losing their ability to absorb shock, which leads to discomfort and mild pain.
Since degenerative disc disease is related to aging, the deterioration of your spine continues with time. With the loss of water, your discs start to become weaker. It results in bulging or even herniation. It causes the soft gel-like matter in the discs to start pressing the nerves nearby, causing pain, tingling, or numbness. This feeling of discomfort can even radiate to your arms and legs, depending on the disc that has been affected.
As the condition moves into the advanced stage, your disc can collapse entirely. It reduces the mobility of your spine, greatly causing pain. As a result, you will see yourself limiting everyday activities. In worse conditions, it can lead to complications like bone spurs, where an extra bone grows to provide support in place of the lost disc.
So, it is clear that Degenerative Disc Disease is a condition that will only get worse with time. Hence, it is better to understand its causes to slow down its progression and maintain a healthy spine for a longer time.
What Are the Causes of Degenerative Disc Disease?
Here’s something to wonder about: “Why do some people develop degenerative disc while others don’t?” So, given below are a few degenerative disease causes-
Aging:
One of the most common and primary causes of DDD is aging. It is because as you age, your spinal discs tend to lose water and content. It results in a lack of flexibility and leads to increased wear and tear. Although it is a normal part of aging for some, it progresses more quickly than others, and that is what has become a concern.
Injury:
Injury or trauma caused to the spine can make disc degeneration quicker. Minor incidents like a slip, fall, or accident can speed up the process of breakdown. Lifting heavy objects with the wrong technique also causes strain on your back and leads to degeneration.
Genetics:
Genetics plays an important role when it comes to your spinal health. Some people are more likely to experience fast degeneration only because it runs in their family and is in their DNA.
Lifestyle:
Bad lifestyle choices like smoking and poor posture also contribute to making degenerative disc disease worse. Smoking reduces the flow of blood to your discs and slows down their ability to repair themselves. Poor posture causes uneven stress on your spinal disc. Moreover, obesity is also harmful as it leads to extra pressure on your spine, making it more prone to DDD.
If you suspect that you are suffering from degenerative disc disease, then you should read about its symptoms to become certain.
What are the symptoms of Degenerative Disc Disease?
The most common symptom of degenerative disc disease is persistent back or neck pain. If you experience dreadful discomfort that won’t go away, it can be due to DDD. This pain is mostly felt in the lower back and neck, and it spreads to other areas, which makes it difficult to move. You can feel this pain on your shoulders, arms, and even legs, depending on the disc that is affected.
As your disc becomes weak, it can compress the nerves nearby and cause sharp pain and a tingling sensation. Many people who experience DDD experience reduced mobility after sitting for a while or after waking up in the morning. It also becomes difficult to bend, twist, or even stand up. Identifying these symptoms early will allow you to get timely treatment. It will prevent further degradation of your spine.
What Are the Treatments for Degenerative Disc Disease?
The treatment of DDD depends on the severity of the symptoms in the individual cases. Basically, the treatment options range from medicines and conservative methods to surgery and regenerative intervention. So, let’s look at the treatment options in increasing order of the severity of DDD.
Pain Relief Medicine
If the DDD, in your case, shows very mild symptoms, then you can focus on getting rid of the pain first. You can take over-the-counter medicines like aceclofenac and ibuprofen.
RICE and Hot Compression Method
Rest, Ice, Compression or Rest, Hot, Compression and Elevation can also be used to get rid of pain and other symptoms of DDD in the early stages. If there is some inflammation, ice helps and if there is soreness, hot helps. Adequate rest followed by ice/hot application ensures relief from pain. Moreover, compression and elevation ensure increased blood flow for the better activity of the surrounding muscles and support for the spine structure.
Physical Therapy
Physical therapy is a great method to get significant results in slightly severe cases of DDD. In physical therapy, the therapist aims to build your back and core muscles stronger, which leads to increased support for the spine. This therapy includes stretching and strength training.
Surgery and Regenerative Intervention
In more severe cases, a non-invasive surgery may be done. The endoscopic procedure is brought up to release the pressure on the spine. The procedure can be clubbed with regenerative intervention to ensure faster and more natural recovery.
In DDD, the entire functional spine unit may have multiple trigger areas. So, regenerative orthobiologics are a good option to be used in these areas to help relieve pain and heal the disc, muscles ligaments, and joints in the spine.
In some cases, even spinal fusion surgery is required where the vertebrae of the affected area are fused. This procedure is very rarely required in emergency cases. Moreover, it’s an invasive surgery, unlike the endoscopic procedure.
How to Manage Degenerative Disc Disease?
Living with degenerative disc disease can be challenging. However, you should not lose hope, as the right management plan ensures a good quality of life. Start by making some ergonomic changes in your workplace to improve your posture, as it will reduce pain. Use supportive chairs or standing desks, and you will feel a huge difference.
The most important part is regular monitoring, which allows you to check the progression of the disease. A routine checkup also lets your doctor adjust the treatment plan to fit your needs. These proactive measures will help you to manage DDD effectively.
Final Thoughts
In short, degenerative disc disease is a natural process that occurs due to aging. It only becomes a concern when the process of degeneration is far quicker than normal aging. Moreover, this condition is often accelerated by factors like genetics, injury, or poor lifestyle choices. It can be a painful experience, so you must consider early diagnosis and treatment to stop further harm. More importantly, taking the right action at the right time can make a huge difference. So, consult your doctor immediately to get a personalized treatment plan.
Frequently Asked Questions
Degenerative Disc Disease is age-related to disc degeneration of the spine and is one of the most common spine problems among older people. It can be treated with conservative methods but based on the magnitude of the injuries, we may have to opt for minimally Invasive intervention or regenerative orthobiologics. Moreover, after the treatment, following a healthy and active lifestyle is important to ensure DDD doesn’t target you again.
While Degenerative Disc Disease is indeed an age-related issue, many factors influence its initiation in a human being. For example, if a person lives a sedentary lifestyle and has habits like smoking may develop DDD very early in life. Similarly, if the person has obesity or any condition like diabetes, he/she may also develop DDD early in their thirties or forties. But with daily exercise and a healthy way of living the degeneration can be slowed down a lot.
Yes, MRI does detect DDD and is a way to diagnose it. In an MRI, DDD looks like a dark spot due to the lack of water content. Moreover, seeing the structural changes of the spine like the shortening of the discs is possible with an X-ray.
The latest treatment for DDD is regenerative ortho biologics, an approach to naturally heal degenerated discs. The process of healing with ortho-biologics is slow but as it works it can be more effective with exercises and strength training.
The degeneration of the discs is a natural process but may catalyze various factors. But still, you may not feel any pain or discomfort. It only occurs when you get small injuries in the spine that cause pain. However, with minimally invasive surgery, the cause of the pain can be treated.
