Common Symptoms of Degenerative Disc Disease

Like all body systems, the musculoskeletal system deteriorates as we get older. After about age 20, the cushions between your bones starts to wear down, affecting even those found in the spine. This condition is known as disc degeneration. It occurs when the discs found between the vertebrae of your spine degenerate and weaken.

If you want to know if your back pain may be caused by degenerative disc disease, here are the symptoms of this common wear-and-tear condition.

Pain

A common symptom of degenerative disc disease is pain. It occurs because the discs that function as shock absorbers have worn down, which may result in instability causing pain. Disk degeneration is a normal process of aging that typically occurs in the 3rd, 4th, and 5th decade of life and can result in back pain. This back pain occurs because the pain fibers that surround the disk are exposed to inflammatory chemicals from the disk and also are exposed to abnormal motion, both of which can cause back pain.

It usually worsens with prolonged sitting, or prolonged standing, or with increased activities, and is improved with rest. Although degenerative disc disease primarily affects your backbone, particularly the lower back, it can also cause neck pain. Pain can also be associated with the facet joints. The pain you feel may range from mild to severe and typically varies over time, but it doesn’t worsen with age.

Treatment

Anti-inflammatory medicines such as Aleve are helpful, and for severe back pain flareups we often prescribe a short course of steroids and physical therapy. A regular aerobic exercise program such as walking, bicycling or swimming 30 to 45 minutes, 3 to 4 times weekly, is helpful in maintaining proper trunk strengthening and also in enabling weight loss, which are both important in decreasing some of the pain associated with degenerative disk disease. Upper extremity strengthening and exercises such as martial arts and yoga are helpful for core muscle strengthening.

Weight is also an issue since biomechanical studies have shown that for every excess 1 pound in front of the trunk, this can mean as much as 4 pounds of stress onto the spine area.

While we typically will obtain x-rays of the affected spine area, we do not find that MRI scans are helpful in guiding treatment decisions for back and neck pain. MRI scans will typically show normal aging degenerative changes.

We do not perform surgery for neck or back pain, but we have had success in some patients treating back pain from facet joints with injections. If you are experiencing severe arm or leg pain associated with numbness or weakness that may indicate pressure on a nerve due to a herniated disc or bony spur. We have many treatment options for this. 

Degenerative Disc Disease Treatment in the Tri-Cities, Tennessee

The board-certified orthopedic doctors at Watauga Orthopaedics have years of experience diagnosing and treating orthopedic conditions like degenerative disc disease. We cater to patients of all ages using the latest innovations to ensure everyone receives appropriate care. We have clinics at Johnson City, Kingsport, and Bristol, Tennessee.

You can call us at (423) 282-9011 to learn more about how we can best help you. Alternatively, schedule your visit with us by using this secure online form. We look forward to helping you keep your musculoskeletal system in shape!