DEGENERATIVE DISC DISEASE
What is Degenerative Disc Disease?
Degenerative disc disease is the age-related drying out and thinning of the spinal discs, which lose water content and height until the vertebrae they cushion sit closer together and produce back pain and stiffness. It occurs in many people during the normal aging process and is also called “arthritis of the back.”
With age, the discs or “shock absorbers” located between the vertebral bodies lose their elasticity. And may cause one vertebral body to collapse down onto another. This collapsed body may compress nerve roots or the spinal cord. Thus, causing back and or leg pain.
Symptoms of the Disease
Degenerative disc disease usually presents as an aching lower back that stiffens up, with pain that worsens the longer you hold one position and can radiate down into the legs when a collapsed disc space crowds a nerve root.
- Aching lower back pain
- Back stiffness
- Radiating pain descending into the legs
- The pain usually worsened with activity or prolonged sitting or standing
Causes of the Degenerative Disc Disease
Degenerative disc disease is caused by the normal age-related change in the discs themselves, accelerated by trauma and repetitive lifting, with smoking, obesity and hereditary factors pushing the degeneration further along.
- The changes in discs as you age
- Trauma (injury)
- Repetitive lifting
- Smoking, obesity, and hereditary factors also lead to advanced degeneration
Degenerative Disc Disease Treatment Options
Degenerative disc disease treatment in Boca Raton is conservative first: medication, physical therapy and spinal cortisone injections come before anything invasive, non-surgical spinal decompression is considered where the disc findings support it, and surgery is reserved for cases that do not improve. Care at TriMed Spine & Joint is delivered by chiropractic physicians, orthopedic surgeons and interventional pain management specialists working from the same imaging.
Non-surgical options
When treating Degenerative Disc Disease, conservative treatment options are always first considered. These methods include medications, physical therapy, or spinal cortisone injections. Then surgery becomes an option for that patient who does not show improvement.
Surgical Options
The most common surgical options for degenerative disc disease are decompression, decompression with posterolateral fusion, anterior lumbar interbody fusion, posterior transforaminal interbody fusion, and disc replacement. TriMed Spine & Joint has orthopedic surgeons on staff for the cases that reach that point:
Decompression
This surgical procedure involves removing all or portions of the lamina, removing bone spurs, and then enlarging the foramina to relieve pressure or compression on the nerve roots or spinal cord. This pressure is often the cause of pain.
Decompression & Posterolateral Fusion
Oftentimes, in addition to a decompression, your surgeon will perform an instrumented posterolateral fusion by inserting a series of screws and rods coupled with the placement of the bone graft. This fusion provides increased spinal stability.
Anterior Lumbar Interbody Fusion (ALIF)
The surgical approach is from the front of the abdomen. Then, the disc material causing the nerve compression is removed. An interbody cage or bone spacer is placed at the disc site and filled with a bone graft. Then, the vertebral bodies above and below are frequently put under compression. And this is done to aid in the subsequent spinal fusion.
Posterior Transforaminal Interbody Fusion
The same procedure as the ALIF but the approach and exposure are performed from the back. Just as in an ALIF, the disc material is removed. Then, an interbody device is inserted. Compression through the use of pedicle screws is frequently achieved to aid in fusion.
Disc Replacement
Removal of the spinal disc and replacement with an artificial prosthesis.
For more information, please consult one of our spine specialists today.
Non-Surgical Option: DRX9000 Spinal Decompression Therapy
The DRX9000 is FDA cleared to treat degenerative disc disease. DRX9000 spinal decompression therapy provides a non-surgical option that gently decompresses the affected disc space. Call 1 (855) 487-4633 to schedule an evaluation with Steven Cantor DC. Published outcomes for non-surgical spinal decompression are collected in our DRX9000 clinical research summary, including a 2010 BMC Musculoskeletal Disorders study of 30 patients in which average disc height rose from 7.5 mm to 8.8 mm and average pain scores fell from 6.2 to 1.6. Evaluations are performed at our Boca Raton office, which serves patients across Palm Beach County.
Related Conditions and Treatment
Degenerative disc disease sets the stage for several other spine conditions, and the related TriMed pages cover herniated discs, bulging discs, spinal stenosis and DRX9000 spinal decompression.
- Herniated Disc – the complete guide to herniated disc symptoms, causes and treatment.
- Bulging Disc – when the disc wall stretches outward but has not ruptured.
- Spinal Stenosis – narrowing of the spinal canal, explained.
- DRX9000 Spinal Decompression – our non-surgical treatment for disc conditions.
Ready to Get Started?
A degenerative disc disease evaluation at TriMed Spine & Joint in Boca Raton measures how much disc height has been lost and whether a nerve root is being crowded, which is what determines whether conservative care, non-surgical spinal decompression or a surgical consult comes first.