Degenerative disc disease (DDD) is not a disease at all. This is a common side effect of aging and usually gets worse as you age. This condition occurs when the fluid-filled cushions between the bones in your back or neck begin to break down and dry out. Essentially, the pads wear down and the bones eventually rub together.
Something might be going on with DDD. Your spine may be less stable, which may affect your movement. You may also be at increased risk of herniating a disc or developing bone spurs. If you suspect you have DDD, it’s important to see your doctor right away so they can develop a treatment plan so your movements don’t get worse or you experience ongoing pain over time.
What are the common causes of degenerative disc disease?
In addition to age, you may also experience DDD if you suffer microtrauma or minor damage to your discs from daily wear and tear. Over time, these injuries can cause small tears and/or cracks in the disc, which can cause you pain.
Repetitive tasks, such as manual labor, can also accelerate or worsen your DDD. In addition to poor health choices such as obesity and smoking, there is an increased risk of painful degenerative disc changes.
Is pain always associated with degenerative disc disease?
DDD can have painful side effects, but not everyone with DDD experiences pain. For those who experience pain, it is common to feel a dull ache in the lower back. You may also experience weakness and numbness in your back and neck areas.
Sometimes you may experience more severe pain that spreads to your lower and upper limbs as well. This can happen if the disc comes into contact with a nerve and herniates. As a result, you may experience severe pain in your legs.
You may also feel pain at certain times, such as when you sit, bend, lift, or twist, and you may not feel anything at all if you are just walking.
You may also experience pain in surrounding muscles or joints, especially if DDD causes inflammation in a localized area. You may also experience muscle cramps as a result.
What are the treatments for degenerative disc disease?
Treatment plans for DDD depend on the symptoms you are experiencing. Doctors like to start with a more conservative treatment plan, which means they usually start with less invasive home remedies.
You may need to start taking over-the-counter pain relievers or anti-inflammatory medications. Heat, ice, stretching, and exercise can also help. Yoga is an excellent form of exercise that can help you strengthen your core and reduce inflammation and stress on degenerated discs. This is also a great way to improve posture and take pressure off your spinal discs.
We recommend physical therapy and some form of relaxation exercises such as meditation, hypnosis, or even visualization. These practices help reduce pain and inflammation in the body.
Acupuncture may also be helpful because this treatment helps release neurochemicals such as endorphins and serotonin, and the insertion of needles can reduce pain and help heal the localized area. Massage therapy may also be an effective non-invasive treatment. Still, given that degenerative disc disease can affect surrounding muscles, joints, and local nerves, it’s important to find a registered massage therapist.
Another home remedy to support DDD is dietary changes. Try foods that are less inflammatory or have pain-relieving properties. For example, adding herbs like ginger, turmeric, and cat’s claw can help reduce pain and inflammation. If your sleep is disrupted by pain caused by DDD, you can try lavender, valerian root, or even chamomile before bed to relieve insomnia and insomnia. St. John’s wort can also relieve pain, but you must be careful about its interactions with any other medications you are taking. It’s best to avoid processed foods that are high in sugar and sodium, as these foods often cause inflammation in the body.
More advanced treatments include steroid injections and radiofrequency ablation, a procedure used to burn the sensory nerves that send pain signals to the brain. Your doctor may also recommend spinal cord stimulation or other types of nerve ablation. However, whether they will order it as a solution depends entirely on your symptoms and the presentation of your “disease.”
What should you do if you think you have degenerative disc disease?
If you experience pain, tingling, numbness and/or weakness in your lower and upper limbs, back and/or neck, consult your doctor immediately. They will go through a series of questions to find out where in your spine the pain is, your medical history, family history, and to see if you have any other symptoms, such as pain elsewhere in your body.
They will then use X-rays, CT or MRI images to determine if there is any bone or nerve damage in the area. You may also need to undergo a series of tests to see how well you move and whether any movements you do are causing pain.
