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Degenerative Spine
Degenerative Spine
One of the more unfortunate aspects of getting older is that your joints begin to wear out, oftentimes for no good reason. This wear and tear of the joints are not only common in the knees and the hips but also in the spine. The exact reason why the joints of the spine begin to wear out is not known and may be a combination of factors, such as doing a lot of lifting, having a family history of spine problems, or having an injury to the spine. This wear and tear is a form of arthritis, which is where the cartilage in the spine joints begins to wear out. Regardless of the cause, it is well known that arthritis of the spine often increases with increasing maturity for no reason that can be identified.
Symptoms
The most common symptoms of degenerative disk disease are neck pain and back pain. You may experience pain that:
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Comes and goes, lasting for weeks or months at a time.
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This leads to numbness or tingling in your arms or legs.
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Radiates down your buttocks and lower back.
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Worsens with sitting, bending or lifting.
Causes
Spinal disks wear down as a normal part of aging. Especially after age 40, most people experience some disk degeneration. However, not everyone experiences pain.
You might have pain if your spinal disks:
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Dry out: Your disks have a soft core that mostly contains water. As you get older, that core naturally loses some water. As a result, disks get thinner and don’t provide as much shock absorption as they used to.
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Tear or crack: Minor injuries can lead to small cracks in your spinal disks. These tears are often near nerves. Tears can be painful, even when they are minor. If the outer wall of your spinal disk cracks open, your disk may bulge out of place, known as a herniated disk, which may compress a spinal nerve.
Treatment
Usually, your healthcare provider will recommend noninvasive treatment options first. Your treatment may include:
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Physical therapy: Participating in strengthening and stretching exercises with a trained healthcare provider.
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Medications: Taking nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs), muscle relaxers or steroids.
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Steroid injections: Injecting medicine near your spinal nerves, disk or joints to reduce inflammation and pain.
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Radiofrequency neurotomy: Using electric currents to burn sensory nerves and prevent pain signals from reaching your brain.
Prevention
Many people use nonsurgical and at-home treatments to manage pain long-term. If you have mild to moderate back pain, you will need to continue treatment to keep the pain at bay.
Most people who have surgery for degenerative disk disease experience long-term pain relief. Even after surgery, you need to continue exercising and stretching to keep your back strong and healthy.