What is Degenerative Disc Disease?

Degenerative Disc Disease - Spine Disc Model

What is Degenerative Disc Disease?

Degenerative disc disease refers to a syndrome in which a compromised disc causes low back pain. Lumbar degenerative disc disease usually starts with a torsional (twisting) injury to the lower back, such as when a person rotates to put something on a shelf or swing a golf club. However, the pain is also frequently caused by simple wear and tear on the spine.

Despite its rather dramatic label, degenerative disc disease is fairly common, and it is estimated that at least 30% of people aged 30-50 years old will have some degree of disc space degeneration, although not all will have pain or ever receive a formal diagnosis. In fact, after a patient reaches 60 years old, some level of disc degeneration is deemed to be a normal finding, not an exception.

Symptoms

Most patients with lumbar degenerative disc disease will experience low-grade continuous but tolerable pain that will occasionally flare (intensify) for a few days or more.

Pain symptoms can vary, but generally are:

Centered on the lower back, although it can radiate to the hips and legs.
Frequently, worse when sitting, when the discs experience a heavier load than when patients are standing, walking, or even laying down.
Exacerbated by certain movements, particularly bending, twisting, or lifting.

Pain from degenerative disc disease is normally generated from two sources:

Inflammation, as the proteins within the disc space begin to irritate the surrounding nerves, and/or
Abnormal micro-motion instability, when the outer rings of the disc – the annulus fibrous – are worn down and cannot absorb stress on the spine effectively, resulting in movement along the vertebral segment.

Excessive micro-motion, combined with the inflammatory proteins, can produce ongoing low back pain. Fortunately, over time the pain from lumbar degenerative disc disease usually decreases, rath than becoming progressively worse. This is because a fully degenerated disc no longer has any inflammatory proteins (that can cause pain) and usually collapses into a stable position, eliminating the micro-motion that generates the pain.

Treatments

For most people, degenerative disc disease can be successfully treated with conservative (meaning non-surgical) care consisting of chiropractic care, medications to control the inflammation and pain (either oral or injection), and physical therapy and exercise. Surgery is only considered when patients have not achieved relief after over six months of conservative care and/or are significantly constrained in performing everyday activities.

Chiropractic Care

Chiropractic adjustments can relieve low back pain by taking pressure off sensitive nerves or tissues, increasing range of motion, restoring blood flow, reducing muscle tension, and, like more active exercise, promoting the release of endorphins within the body to act as natural painkillers.

Rehabilitation

An exercise program is essential to relieving the pain of lumbar degenerative disc disease and should have several components, including:

Hamstring stretching, since tightness in these muscles can increase the stress on the back and the pain caused by a degenerative disc.
Lumbar strengthening exercises where patients are taught to find their natural spine, the position in which they feel most comfortable, and to maintain that position.
Low-impact aerobic conditioning ensures adequate flow of nutrients and blood to spine structures and relieves pressure on the discs.

Injections

Trigger point, joint, and epidural injections can provide low back pain relief by delivering fluid to hydrate or medication to treat the inflammation directly to the painful area.

Medications

Various medications are available to treat symptoms associated with degenerative disc disease. Not all medications are right for all patients, and patients will need to discuss side effects and possible risk factors with the prescribing physician.

Summary

By learning more about degenerative disc disease, we can better understand how to prevent and treat symptoms associated with it. When degenerative disc disease is present, whatever is required depends on the area affected and the symptoms present, and that is why it is important to have a team of doctors that is able to identify the root cause.

At BBC Health in Lewisville, Texas, we know how to identify, treat, or refer in the proper direction for any problems with your back and spine. As a primary care provider, we can quickly provide medical, chiropractic, and rehab treatments in order to get you well as fast as possible. If you’re suffering from back pain, don’t delay, and contact us immediately to see how we can help.

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