Degenerative Disc Disease

Find out if you're a candidate for a minimally invasive alternative to open neck or back surgery

Warning: You must enable JavaScript!!

First Name

Last Name

State

Zip

Phone

Best Time

Have you been in pain for 6 months or more? Yes No
Select yes or no

Have you seen an orthopedic or neurosurgeon who has recommended that you have surgery to correct your condition? Yes No
Select yes or no

Have you had an MRI or CTScan in the last 2 years? Yes No
Select yes or no

Privacy

Degenerative Disc Disease Exercises

For those searching for a way to alleviate pain and other symptoms associated with degenerative disc disease, certain exercises can prove to be helpful and noninvasive methods of treatment. However, it’s important to check with your healthcare provider before trying any exercises to avoid further injuring yourself.

Cervical Degenerative Disc

A cervical degenerative disc is located in the C1-C7 area of the spine, which includes the neck and upper back. Although the lumbar spine is most at risk for degenerative disc disease due to its weight bearing role in everyday activities like lifting and twisting, the neck is also a common area in which this condition can present itself.

Degenerative Disc in the Neck

Degenerative disc disease is a process in which the spinal discs that cushion vertebrae in our back break down over time. Although it is usually age related, there are a number of possible causes of a degenerative disc in the neck.

What Is A Degenerative Spinal Disc?

As with all parts of our bodies, our spinal discs change as we age. The wear and tear of normal life take their toll, and the cartilage that makes up our spinal discs begins to break down. This process, which is known as spondylosis, can be accelerated by traumatic injuries like those inflicted by a car accident, but generally speaking it is a slow, steady progression.

Degenerative Disc Pain Management

Aging is a natural part of life, but degenerative disc pain doesn’t have to be. There are many ways to manage, minimize, or even eliminate pain caused by this disease.

Degenerative Back Disc Causing Pain? Consider Endoscopic Surgery from Laser Spine Institute.

Because spinal discs are the cushions between vertebrae, a thinner degenerative back disc will mean there is less space between bones, making it harder to twist and bend your body. The closer proximity of vertebrae also means there is a smaller opening for nerve roots to pass through to get from the spinal cord to the rest of the body. If the opening gets small enough, nerves can become pinched and cause symptoms like tingling, numbness, muscle weakness, and pain.

Degenerative Neck Disc Causes, Symptoms, and Treatments

Disc degeneration is a natural side effect of aging in which the intervertebral discs lose volume, protein, and water content. The wear and tear of normal life causes a degenerative neck disc to become thinner and more prone to bulging and herniating. Disc degeneration can be hastened by trauma to the body such as from a car accident, but usually it just comes with age.

Degenerative Discs - What Are They and What Can You Do?

Also known as spondylosis, degenerative disc disease is a natural process in which spinal discs slowly lose water and protein, causing them to become weaker, more brittle, and susceptible to bulging and herniation. Degenerative discs are also thinner, which decreases the amount of cushion between vertebrae and can cause limited mobility and pain.

Degenerative Disc Causes a Variety of Other Back Problems

Degenerative disc causes many common back ailments, but to understand how and why, it helps to know what the condition actually is. Degenerative disc disease is the gradual breakdown of the discs between the vertebrae. These discs usually act as shock absorbers, but with age they begin to lose water and protein and they become more stiff and brittle. When this happens, the gel-like nucleus can force itself against a weak portion of the vertebra’s outer wall. This often presses into the spinal canal, causing a bulging disc. If the wall ruptures and the nucleus material oozes into the spinal canal, it is called a herniated disc.

Degenerative Disc Symptoms Can Often be Treated at Laser Spine Institute

Degenerative disc symptoms generally result from nerve compression and irritation caused by intervertebral disc disintegration. As discs lose their structural integrity, they become more vulnerable to herniation and bulging. When these events occur, the soft, gel-like center of the disc presses on the exterior wall of the disc or breaks through into the spinal canal. The intrusion can press on the spinal cord or attached nerve roots, triggering pain.

Degenerative Disc Surgery at Laser Spine Institute

Degenerative disc surgery comes in a variety of forms, and most recently, disc replacement has started to make headlines. This surgery involves removing any remaining portions of a damaged disc and replacing it with an artificial disc. The disc is attached to the vertebrae on either side, and the core is made of a flexible material like rubber or plastic. The artificial disc has proven successful for some patients, but—as with all artificial implants—there is potential for the body to reject it. Additionally, because it requires a highly invasive open back surgery, there are a variety of other complications it could create.

Degenerative Disc Help from Laser Spine Institute

If you suffer from a degenerative disc and conservative treatments like bed rest, physical therapy, and over-the-counter medicines haven’t eased your pain, take heart. The back and neck pain experts at Laser Spine Institute (LSI) may be able to help.
We use endoscopic techniques to perform minimally invasive procedures that treat the pain that sometimes accompanies degenerative disc disease.

Lumbar Degenerative Disc Disease Treatment at Laser Spine Institute

Fortunately for most lumbar degenerative disc disease sufferers, pain is mild and only occasionally worsens. However, if you are one of the few that experiences a lot of pain from your condition, you should know that there are options for treatment that can be prescribed by your doctor. You can apply hot and cold compacts to the lower back alternately to increase flexibility and reduce inflammation. You can also perform special stretches and exercises to strengthen the muscles surrounding your degenerative disc site. This may help reduce the bone on bone pressure that can result from the condition. Over-the-counter medicines can also reduce the pain and inflammation you may experience. If none of these methods, or others recommended by your doctor, are able to substantially reduce your symptoms, you may be able to undergo surgery. If you choose a procedure with Laser Spine Institute (LSI) you can achieve relief without many of the common side effects and complications experienced after traditional open-back surgery.

Thoracic Degenerative Disc Disease—A Rare Diagnosis

The middle portion of the spine, also known as the thoracic region, is much less likely to be affected by common back ailments than the cervical or the lumbar portions of the spine. Those areas of the back and neck are heavily involved in the bending and twisting of everyday life, and over the years the wear and tear takes its toll. The mid-back, by contrast, remains largely stationery so its vertebrae and discs move less and stay functioning properly for the entire lives of most people. That’s why thoracic degenerative disc disease is rarely seen. However, in some cases aging can bring it on, as can injury.

Cervical Degenerative Disc Disease Treatment at Laser Spine Institute

Cervical degenerative disc disease can be caused by injury, but it is most often the result of aging. Over time the discs separating the vertebrae in the neck begin to flatten, lose some of their cushion and flexibility, and eventually become brittle. Little by little they break down, leaving little to no support for the vertebrae, which causes pain as the joints fall out of alignment and the bones begin to rub on each other. The result is usually just stiffness and mild discomfort in the neck, but the pain can escalate if the vertebrae affected by the degenerating discs pinch spinal nerve tissue. When that occurs, there may be weakness, tingling or numbness in neck, arms, shoulders and/or hands.

Spondylosis Treatment at Laser Spine Institute

Spondylosis is sometimes used interchangeably with disc degeneration, and it describes the general wear and tear our vertebral discs experience over the course of life. Symptoms usually begin to surface in middle age and can include back or neck pain, weakness or tingling in the extremities, difficulty accessing a full range of motion, tenderness, and more.

Lumbago—Is Yours Caused by Degenerative Disc Disease?

Lumbago, a term used to describe general lower back pain, has many causes. The lower back, or lumbar region, is responsible for supporting the weight of the upper body as well as facilitating much of the twisting, turning and lifting that the body doesleading to wear and tear and sometimes injury.

Degenerative Disc Disease Treatment at Laser Spine Institute Can Decrease Pain

Degenerative disc disease - a condition where the cartilage between vertebrae disintegrates and allows nerves to be pinched - is a common cause of back pain, and it can be completely debilitating to some sufferers. Advanced degenerative disc can lead to pain just from standing, sitting, or taking a step. If you suffer from this condition, you may have researched possible solutions only to find invasive, open-back surgery as your only option.

Degenerative Disc Disease Sufferers Often Make Good Candidates for Laser Surgery

At a minimum, those suffering with degenerative disc disease experience constant, irritating back pain. When the condition is at its worst, the pain can force a sufferer to bed rest. That’s because one or more of the cartilage discs between his or her vertebrae have disintegrated, allowing nerves to be pinched between hard bones with every step or bump in the road. The pain can radiate down the legs, across the shoulders and arms, or around the torso depending on which portion of the spine is affected.

Degenerative Disc Disease Treatment: Is Laser Surgery the Best Option for You?

The symptoms of degenerative disc disease can occur anywhere in your spinal column, resulting in pain that radiates into your hips, legs, and feet or into your neck, shoulders, arms, and hands. At first, the discomfort may be an occasional irritation to you, or over time the condition may turn into something so serious that you are in constant, throbbing pain.

Degenerative Disc Disease Treatment with LSI’s Revolutionary 5-Day Process

Degenerative disc disease is a spinal condition that is linked to the normal aging process. It starts when the cushiony discs between your vertebrae deteriorate over the years. This deterioration causes a narrowing of your normal “disc space.” Eventually the narrowing can result in pressure on your spinal cord and pain for you.

Disc Replacement

At this time, cervical disc replacement and lumbar disc replacement surgeries are available and in fact, the medical industry is hopeful that lumbar disc replacement may soon become the standard in treating lower back pain.

Disc Desiccation

Disc desiccation can occur due to various reasons. The primary cause of disc desiccation is wear and tear on our discs.

Treatment for Disc Desiccation

There are a number of causes of disc desiccation, however the most common cause of disc desiccation is due to the degenerative process. This means that as we age the fluid in the disc evaporates or slowly releases from the disc.

Lumbar Disc Disease

Most often, lumbar degenerative disc disease is initially caused by an injury to the lower back. An example of this would be when a person twists or rotates while performing an activity such as swinging a golf club, baseball bat, or perhaps when rotating to place or reach for something.

Cervical Disc Disease

Cervical degenerative disc disease occurs when a disc becomes weak through the degeneration process. This process is also commonly referred to as the wear and tear process. The inner core of the disc may bulge or rupture into the spinal canal and most often, with cervical disc disease, the bulge or rupture occurs through the side rather than the front or back.

Degenerative Disc Treatment

When considering treatment for degenerative disc disease it is important to realize that effects from this condition can’t be reversed, but with proper exercise and making smart choices for your back you will be able to live a high quality of life for a longer period of time.