Degenerative Disc Disease Frequently asked Questions.
Learn all about degenerative disc disease.
Overview & Facts
Degenerative Disc Disease Facts:
Back or neck pain may be mild or extreme, quick or constant. What raises your risk — and what can you do about it? Learn about back pain’ s causes, risks, and prevention.
What is degenerative disc disease?
Degenerative disc disease actually isn’t a disease at all. It’s simply the appearance of spinal discs as they wear down over time and begin to degenerate. Just about everyone who lives past their teen years will develop annular tears in their spinal discs, leading to disc degeneration.
However, while for some people these torn discs will cause severe pain, some people will never experience back pain as a result of their torn spinal discs.
What causes degenerative disc disease?
The true underlying cause of degenerative disc disease, and most spine issues, are annular tears. Annular tears are tears that develop in the outer layer of your spinal discs.
These tears may or may not lead to leaking of the nucleus pulposus from the inner portion of your spinal discs, but if they do lead to leaking, you’ll likely experience painful symptoms, such as sciatica.
Can a degenerative disc ever heal?
Unfortunately, once a spinal disc is torn it cannot heal itself. Because spinal discs don’t get a sufficient amount of of blood circulated to them, they lack the ability to naturally heal tears. The good news is that you have plenty of options for managing your pain.
Will my degenerative disc disease worsen over time?
There’s no definitive answer to this question, because everyone’s body is different. While some people may develop more annular tears over time, or their existing annular tears may worsen, some people’s annular tears will remain the same.
You can also avoid worsening of degenerative discs by making lifestyle changes that will protect your spine.
Can degenerative disc disease affect young people?
Unfortunately, yes. Because degenerative disc disease occurs as a result of torn spinal discs, it can affect anyone at any age. While it may be more common to see symptoms of degenerative disc disease in older people, it is possible to develop degenerative discs earlier in life.
Can heavy lifting cause degenerative disc disease?
Lifting heavy objects without being careful and using proper lifting techniques or twisting your body while you lift is a common cause of the development of annular tears, which can lead to degenerative disc disease. Fortunately, employing proper lifting technique and getting help lifiting heavy objects can protect your spine.
How should you sleep when you have degenerative disc disease?
Sleeping on your back with a small pillow or rolled up towel under the small of your back and a pillow under your knees is considered the best position for your back in order to avoid or reduce strain on your back while sleeping. This position keeps your spine in its natural alignment, but there are ways to alter other sleeping positions in order to protect your spine as well.
How can I prevent degenerative disc disease from getting worse?
There are several ways to prevent degenerative disc disease from worsening.
If you are overweight, lose weight. Being overweight places increased stress on your spine by forcing it out of alignment. This increases your risk of degenerative disc disease.
Smoking can dehydrate spinal discs, causing increased degeneration.
Bed rest can make degenerative disc disease worse, so it’s best to engage in regular light exercise, such as walking.
Maintain good posture to avoiding placing increase stress on your spine.
If your occupation puts you at risk for developing degenerative disc disease, wear equipment that will provide your back with support and be mindful of your posture and lifting technique.
