Degenerative disc disease symptoms & treatment

Spinal discs, the discs between the bones that make up your spine (vertebrae), allow your back to bend and twist flexibly. They act like shock absorbers, insulating against impact. In the course of day-to-day life, these discs take on a great deal of strain. This long-term strain on your discs can make them start to break down and cause pain – leading to a condition called degenerative disc disease (DDD), or cervical disc disease.

Degenerative disc disease is a condition that causes back or neck pain from wear and tear on a spinal disc. It isn't a disease, but rather a condition in which a damaged disc causes pain. The pain can range from nagging to disabling.

Aurora offers a variety of degenerative disc disease treatments including surgical procedures such as spinal fusion or disc replacement and nonsurgical approaches including medication and physical therapy.

Why is disc degeneration so painful?

To understand why degenerative disc disease is so painful, you need to understand the makeup of your spine. Your spine is divided into regions:

• Neck or upper back (cervical spine)
• Middle back (thoracic spine)
• Lower back (lumbar spine)

Degenerative disc disease most commonly occurs in the upper and lower regions, often causing neck pain or lower back pain.

Unfortunately, since intervertebral discs receive less blood flow than other soft tissue, the damage caused by disc degeneration doesn’t heal well on its own. In some cases, these deteriorated discs may collapse and cause the joints in the vertebrae to rub against each other, which can cause spinal osteoarthritis, characterized by stiffness and pain of the joints.

Risk factors for degenerative disc disease

Certain factors can increase your risk for developing degenerative disc disease:

• Age: It’s normal for your spinal discs to degenerate as you grow older, but it doesn’t always cause pain.
• Active lifestyle: Over time, sports and other long-term physical activities can cause wear and tear on your discs.
• Back injuries: Injuries can speed the wear and tear on your discs.
• Obesity: Years of carrying excess weight can put pressure on your spinal discs over the long term.

Conditions & pain related to degenerative disc disease

When the spinal discs begin to deteriorate, the bones can begin rubbing together. This bone-to-bone contact can also cause these related problems:

• Adult scoliosis, or curving of the spine
• Herniated disc, also called a bulging, slipped or ruptured disc
• Spinal stenosis, where the spaces around the spine narrow
• Spondylolisthesis, when vertebrae move in and out of place

Ways to prevent disc degeneration

Degenerative disc disease develops slowly over time, but there are things you can do to help lower your risk:

• Check with your doctor about taking vitamins and supplements such as calcium and iron to maintain healthy bones.
• Lift with care to avoid stressing your spine.
• Maintain a healthy body weight.
• Reduce alcohol consumption.
• Stay active. Regular exercise increases strength and flexibility in the muscles surrounding and supporting your spine.
• Stop smoking or never start. Smoking increases the rate of disc degeneration.

Degenerative disc disease symptoms

Some common degenerative disc disease symptoms include:

• Bouts of severe neck or lower back pain that disappear spontaneously after days or even months
• Numbness, tingling or weakness in your arms and legs
• Neck or lower back pain that improves when you’re moving or lying down
• Neck or lower back pain that worsens when you’re sitting, which puts pressure on the discs in your lower back

Is your back and neck pain cause for concern?

Back and neck pain can interrupt even the simplest things in life, and lasting or severe discomfort along your spine could point to a serious problem. Our back and neck pain quiz helps evaluate your spine function, pain symptoms and risk factors and gives you an idea what to do next based on your results.

Take the back and neck pain quiz

Diagnosis & treatment of degenerative disc disease

You may need tests so your doctor can evaluate the condition of your spinal discs and the degree of spinal degeneration. You may get an MRI, an X-ray or a discography in which dye is injected into your disc to make an X-ray image clearer.

Nonsurgical treatment for degenerative disc disease

If you have degenerative disc disease, your doctor will first try nonsurgical treatments to relieve your chronic neck or lower back pain including:

• Cold therapy (icing your neck or lower back)
• Nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) like ibuprofen and naproxen
• Physical therapy and back-strengthening exercises to strengthen the neck or lower back muscles that support the spine
• Stretching your neck or lower back muscles
• Acupuncture to treat symptoms

Surgical treatment for degenerative disc disease

If other degenerative disc disease treatment doesn’t ease your pain, you may need surgery. Your doctor may recommend:

• Spinal fusion: During spinal fusion surgery, damaged disc is removed (called a discectomy) and the two vertebrae above and below it are fused together for stability. Sometimes, for neck pain, the surgeon will perform an anterior cervical discectomy and fusion (ACDF). This procedure involves removing a damaged disc and fusing the vertebrae through an incision in the throat.
• Artificial disc replacement: During disc replacement surgery, the damaged disc is removed and replaced with a synthetic one. Artificial disc replacement may restore greater range of motion than a spinal fusion.

Find spine care near you

When you have degenerative disc disease, makes it easier for you to get back to the things that matter most. With a single entry point and your own care coordinator, you’ll be connected to an integrated team of specialists all working together on your personalized treatment plan. Learn more about our program locations in eastern Wisconsin.

Aurora St. Luke’s Medical Center

Aurora BayCare Medical Center

Aurora Medical Center – Summit

Aurora Medical Center – Sheboygan County

Aurora Health Center – Burlington