Degenerative disc disease is not actually a disease but a condition in which the disc between the vertebra joining the bones starts to wear away. Sometimes after the age of 40, the discs start wearing away resulting in pain due to bones rubbing against each other. The degenerative process starts after the age of 40. It is a common symptom of osteoarthritis. The discs degenerate due to the following reasons
- The discs have dried out completely
- The discs have torn from the outer portion due to heavy daily activities
- Injury caused by a heavy impact
Due to less blood supply to the disc, it cannot repair itself on its own once it starts deteriorating.
Causes of degenerative disc disease
The most common sign of this disease is aging. Once you start to age, the discs lose more water content and become thinner resulting in less protection between the bones. Any strain on the back also weakens the discs. People who are involved in such activities that involve the back muscles and bones then they may start experiencing pain in their back.
Symptoms
The symptoms may be experienced around the neck or lower back area. The patient may feel:
- Pain in the neck or lower back
- Pain while sitting or trying to stand
- Frequent pains throughout the day
- The pain extending towards arms and hands
Treatments
Degenerative disc disease (DDD) can be treated with multiple methods. There are people who do not feel pain at all when their discs starts to deetriorate. It all depends on the immune system that a person has developed over the years. The following methods can be taken into consideration while treating this condition
- Physical therapy
Physiotherapists helps you to go back to your active lifestyle by using proper techniques and exercises for the betterment of the bone structure. People who show worse symptoms of this condition may find difficulty in walking or their posture is not correct. Physical therapists can help you get back on step.
- Acupuncture
Acupuncture is another good option to treat this condition. It involves inserting very thin needles in the strategic parts of the body to manage the flow of energy throughout the body. Known as the traditional Chinese technique, this method helps to reduce the pain.
- Medications
If the symptoms are unable to bear, your doctor may recommend some over-the-counter medicines like aspirin, ibuprofen, or any non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs to relieve the pain. You can easily purchase these medicines at discounted prices from http://pricepropharmacy.com/ and they deliver all the prescribed medicines at your doorstep.
- Steroid injections
An epidural or steroid injection may also be injected in the nerve or muscle to ease the pain but this comes with some side effects as this procedure is not effective for the long run.
- Surgery
Surgery is always considered as the last resort. If needed, the doctors may remove one or more discs and may replace them with artificial discs to ease the pain. This procedure is known as spine arthroplasty.
