What is Degenerative Disc Disease?

Degenerative Disc Disease is not really a disease, but a term used to describe a loss in disc height between your vertebrae as you age. This may cause severe neck or lower back pain.

What are the causes of Degenerative Disc Disease?

As we age, our spinal discs degenerate, which may result in degenerative disc disease for some people. Some age-related changes in our bodies can include:

• The loss of fluid in your discs. This reduces the ability of the discs to act as shock absorbers and in turn 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 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 or osteophytes.

What are the symptoms?

Degenerative disc disease can result in back or neck pain, but it all varies from person to person. Many people have no pain, while others with the same amount of disc damage have severe pain. 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 other times an affected disc in the lower back may result in pain in the back, buttocks, or leg. The pain often gets worse with movements such as exercising, twisting, bending over, or reaching up.

Treatment of Degenerative Disc Disease

The DRX9000 True Non-Surgical Spinal Decompression System™ provides a primary treatment modality for pain and disability management. It is particularly effective for patients suffering with incapacitating lower back pain, degenerative disc disease, herniated discs, spinal stenosis, pinched nerves and sciatica. DRX9000 is designed to provide non-surgical pain relief for compressive and degenerative injuries of the spine. Through the application of spinal decompressive forces to these injuries, the DRX9000™ has given patients relief from back pain and has allowed them to resume the activities they enjoy.