Degenerative Disc Disease Causes
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Causes
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Degenerative disc disease is a part of growing older. Wear and tear on the spine makes the ligaments surrounding a disc more brittle, causing them to tear more easily. While most people are affected to some extent as they age, not everyone develops symptoms of degenerative disc disease. Damage to the invertebral discs, in combination with the thickening of the ligaments which support the spine, contributes to degenerative arthritis. These changes in the lumbar spine are often the reason why many older individuals experience low back pain.
Symptoms
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Stiffness, weakness, and pain in the back and legs are all symptoms of degenerative disc disease. Pain associated with degenerative disc disease is caused by compression of the nerve roots. The lumbar spine becomes less flexible as the discs begin to wear out with age. As the nerve roots shrink, pain in the back can radiate down the legs, and can sometimes cause numbness and tingling in the feet. In more serious cases, a person can experience sciatica and weakness in their lower extremities.
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Diagnosis
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In order to diagnose degenerative disc disease, a doctor will examine a patient's back and legs. He or she will test for flexibility, strength, range of motion and reflexes. A narrowing of the spaces between the vertebral bodies will usually show on an X-ray if degenerative disc disease is present. Bone spurs around the edges of the vertebral bodies sometimes also appear on X-rays. When the disc becomes thin and collapses, bone spurs form, shrinking the space available for the nerve roots, which makes them more susceptible to compression. After X-rays confirm degenerative disc disease, a doctor may order a CT scan or MRI in order to evaluate the changes in the lumbar spine more completely.
Treatment
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For less severe cases of degenerative disc disease, a doctor usually refers a patient to physical therapy. Because regular exercise helps to make the back stronger, physical therapy focuses on stretching, exercising and strengthening the back. Physical therapists normally use massage, ultrasound treatments, and heat therapy to help soothe a patient's back pain. A person can also take nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs such as aspirin and ibuprofen to help alleviate pain. Narcotics typically are not recommended for chronic low back pain because of the risk of physical and psychological dependence or addiction. Some doctors suggest that a patient wear a soft lumbar corset for a time. Spinal surgery generally is not offered as a treatment option until after medications, physical therapy and rest have failed to relieve symptoms.
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