Degenerative disc disease is a common condition that occurs when your spinal discs, the rubbery cushions between your vertebrae, gradually wear down, leading to pain and discomfort. While it’s a natural part of aging, it can significantly impact your quality of life. Here’s a comprehensive guide to understanding degenerative disc disease, its symptoms, causes, and effective treatment options.
What is Degenerative Disc Disease?
Degenerative Disc Disease (DDD) occurs when your intervertebral discs, the soft, gel-like cushions between the vertebrae, deteriorate over time. This deterioration can result from aging, wear and tear, or injury, which causes the discs to lose their flexibility and shock-absorbing capabilities. Almost everyone has some sort of disc degeneration after age 40, even if they don’t develop symptoms.
Some of the most common symptoms of DDD include:
- Persistent or intermittent neck and back pain
- Numbness or tingling sensations in the arms or legs
- Radiating pain that extends to the buttocks and lower back
- Exacerbation of pain with certain activities like sitting, bending, or lifting
Treatment Options for Degenerative Disc Disease
Fortunately, our team offers several minimally-invasive treatment options to manage the symptoms of DDD, such as:
- Epidural steroid injections: This involves injecting anti-inflammatory medication into the epidural space to reduce irritation and inflammation of the spinal nerves, providing pain relief.
- Nerve blocks: Nerve blocks entail injection medication to block pain signals from specific nerves, alleviating the pain associated with DDD.
- Radiofrequency Ablation: This procedure uses a special machine that creates radiofrequency currents to produce heat, which then stops pain signals from traveling.
Customized Treatments for Your Degenerative Disc Disease
At Commonwealth Pain & Spine, we understand that each patient’s experience with DDD is unique. That’s why your care team will work closely with you to develop a personalized treatment plan tailored to your specific needs and preferences. Whether it’s more conservative measures like physical therapy or more advanced interventions like injections, we’re committed to helping you find relief from your symptoms and improve your quality of life.
Our team is ready to treat you to a better life. Take the first step by calling (844) 487-8399 or filling out our self-referral form!
