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Your situation is unique. This is our starting point.

Embarking upon a health procedure, whether simple or involved, can be an anxiety-producing experience for most patients. The critical thing to remember is that SPINE-PEDS ORTHO team of professionals will handle complicated spinal problems, possibly much like your own, on a frequent basis. And knowledge helps a great deal. Higher volume leads to better expertise and outcomes.

One step in allaying concern is to try and become more familiar with your condition and treatment options. Our team believes in educating our patients about their conditions. Your physician will determine the best treatment for your particular condition.

Degenerative Disc Disease

Degenerative disc disease is the progressive deterioration of spinal discs and arthritic changes in facet joints due to wear and tear with aging. The overgrowth of bone spurs can also produce narrowing of the spinal canal, resulting in spinal stenosis, causing pain, numbness and weakness in the legs due to compression of the neural elements.

As we age, our spinal discs break down, or degenerate, which may result in degenerative disc disease in some people. These age-related changes include:

  • The loss of fluid in your discs. This reduces the ability of the discs to act as shock absorbers and makes them less flexible. Loss of fluid also makes the disc thinner and narrows the distance between the vertebrae.
  • Tiny tears or cracks in the outer layer (annulus or capsule) of the disc. The jellylike material inside the disc (nucleus) may be forced out through the tears or cracks in the capsule, which causes the disc to bulge, break open (rupture), or break into fragments.

These changes are more likely to occur in people who smoke cigarettes and those who do heavy physical work (such as repeated heavy lifting). People who are obese are also more likely to have symptoms of degenerative disc disease.

A sudden (acute) injury leading to a herniated disc (such as a fall) may also begin the degeneration process.

As the space between the vertebrae gets smaller, there is less padding between them, and the spine becomes less stable. The body reacts to this by constructing bony growths called bone spurs (osteophytes). Bone spurs can put pressure on the spinal nerve roots or spinal cord, resulting in pain and affecting nerve function.

Degenerative disc disease may result in back or neck pain, but this varies from person to person. Many people have no pain, while others with the same amount of disc damage have severe pain that limits their activities. Where the pain occurs depends on the location of the affected disc. An affected disc in the neck area may result in neck or arm pain, while an affected disc in the lower back may result in pain in the back, buttock, or leg. The pain often gets worse with movements such as bending over, reaching up, or twisting.