Degenerative disc disease causes patients to experience a number of symptoms, including localized pain as well as radiating numbness, tingling, and muscle weakness in the extremities. If you’ve been diagnosed with the condition, then you’re probably all too familiar with these symptoms. But what is degenerative disc disease and what causes it? How is the condition treated? The answers to these questions can be found below.

What is Degenerative Disc Disease & What Causes It?

Simply stated, degenerative disc disease involves the gradual break down of the intervertebral discs, which are the spine’s “shock absorbers.” Discs are positioned between adjacent, articulating vertebrae, and are tasked with lessening the load that is placed on the vertebrae when the spine supports weight and facilitates movement. These tasks can take their toll over time, and around middle age the discs can begin to break down. More specifically, the discs’ outer shells (annuli fibrosi) can weaken, and their gelatinous centers (nuclei pulposi) can become dehydrated. This makes the discs prone to bulging (when a nucleus pulposus shifts out of place but remains contained within a weakened annulus fibrosus) and herniating (when the nucleus pulposus seeps through a tear in the annulus fibrosus). Both of these conditions can lead to neural compression, which is at the root of the symptoms that degenerative disc disease causes.

How is Degenerative Disc Disease Treated?

Treatment for degenerative disc disease focuses on relieving the pressure that has been placed on an affected neural structure (a spinal nerve, nerve root, or even the spinal cord itself). Initially, this is attempted through the use of conservative, nonsurgical treatments, including:

– Medication, such as over-the-counter, nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) like ibuprofen or naproxen; over-the-counter analgesics like acetaminophen; muscle relaxants; narcotic pain relievers (typically reserved for patients who are in severe pain)

– Physical therapy, including strengthening and stretching exercises; transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation (TENS); ultrasound therapy; massage therapy

– Lifestyle modifications, which can include losing weight; becoming more physically active; ceasing the use of tobacco products; reducing alcohol consumption

– CAM (complementary and alternative medicine) therapies, such as acupuncture; acupressure; chiropractic manipulation; hypnotism; aroma therapy

Conservative treatments can usually relieve patients from the symptoms that degenerative disc disease causes within a matter of weeks or months. However, a small percentage of patients may not benefit from conservative treatments and may be advised to undergo an operation.

Surgery for degenerative disc disease can require a very large incision and the dissection of musculature and other soft tissues. An affected disc is often removed in its entirety, and replaced with an intervertebral cage filled with bone grafting material. The cage is then affixed to the surrounding vertebrae with surgical hardware. Over time, the bone graft material will fuse the cage and the two vertebrae together, leaving that spinal segment with little to no mobility.

Some patients may be candidates for minimally invasive procedures as an alternative to the type of operation explained above. These procedures are performed on an outpatient basis, through an incision that is typically less than one inch long. To learn more about these procedures and to find out if you’re a candidate, consult with your physician.

Patrick Foote is the Director of eBusiness at Laser Spine Institute, the leader in endoscopic spine surgery. Laser Spine Institute specializes in safe and effective outpatient procedures to treat the symptoms that degenerative disc disease causes.

Patrick Foote is the Director of eBusiness at Laser Spine Institute, the leader in endoscopic spine surgery. Laser Spine Institute treats the symptoms that degenerative disc disease causes. http://www.laserspineinstitute.com/back_problems/degenerative_disc_disease/causes/

Author Bio: Patrick Foote is the Director of eBusiness at Laser Spine Institute, the leader in endoscopic spine surgery. Laser Spine Institute specializes in safe and effective outpatient procedures to treat the symptoms that degenerative disc disease causes.

Category: Medicines and Remedies
Keywords: degenerative disc disease causes