Degenerative Disc Disease is when one or more of the discs between the vertebrae of the spinal column deteriorate or break down, leading to pain.
People with a parent or sibling with degenerative disc disease are at risk of developing the condition themselves. Individuals may inherit a gene variation that increases the risk of intervertebral disc disease, but do not inherit the condition itself. However, despite its name, degenerative disc disease is not a disease, but can be a natural occurrence that comes with ageing.
The symptoms include sharp (rather than dull) pain which is usually located under the belt line and the back and comes and goes. Pain is usually localized to the lower back and gluteal area with pain on flexion, rotation, or prolonged sitting and standing. It comes and goes, lasting for weeks or months at a time, and can lead to numbness in your legs or arms.
Spinal disks wear down as a normal part of aging. Especially after age 40, most people experience some disk degeneration. However, strangeley enough not everyone experiences pain. My consultant explained to me that some elderly patients can have a chronic degenerative spine and yet have no pain whatsoever.
One of the more unfortunate aspects of getting older is that your joints begin to wear out, oftentimes for no good reason. The precise 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. Another factor can be if you have had previous spinal surgery which is the case with me.
This wear and tear is a form of arthritis, which is where the cartilage in the spine joints begins to wear out. It is well known that arthritis of the spine often increases with increasing age for no reason that can be logical.
The condition can settle down for a bit and then flare up again. Muscle tension and spasms can be quite painful, and are thought to cause the flare-ups of intense pain associated with degenerative disc disease. Mine can flare up in particular after a long car journey, after contracting COVID or a severe cough or simply walking that extra mile while out.
My consultant has advised that the best treatment for this is with a combination of pain management techniques, physical therapy, and other approaches. I have finally got my pain under control with regular pain medications and physiotherapy, massage and acupuncture. I still get the odd very bad flare up which just takes time to settle down.
I try to keep as active as possible and try to walk 20 minutes daily. I never walk in the rain as I find this seems to irritate it but sometimes I can feel that I am able to walk quite a bit longer but then suffer from it 24 hours later. Its trying to keep a balance of your pain and controlling it the best way that suits your lifestyle. I have different adaptions in my home, I have a sacroiliac custion in my car and I always take my own pillow whenever we go away. These little tweeks make all the difference.
There is no cure for degenerative disc disease. Once a disc has degenerated, the degenerative process cannot be reversed. Instead of trying to rehabilitate the disc itself, treatment focuses on improving the health of surrounding structures, such as the spinal nerves, vertebral bones and joints, and supporting muscles and ligaments.
Source: Spine Health
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