Degenerative Disc Disease Treatment

In order to understand why discs in your back degenerate, it’s important to learn what discs are comprised of. In the simplest of terms, discs are the shock-absorbers of your back. Instead of moving around with great stiffness, discs allow for fluid movement. They allow for bending and stretching your body.

The discs themselves are a delicate system, though. They are comprised of two elements:

• Nucleus Pulposus – the viscous fluid inside the disc. Contained within is protein-rich material that, if it escapes, can cause serious inflammation of the affected area.
• Annulus Fibrosus – the firm outer layer of the disc. This protects the fluid inside from escaping. The downside is that the material is so tough, the nerves that go through the disc only go through the outer-most layer of the wall. This makes the nerves much more vulnerable to any disruption, increasing the likelihood of any maladies that may cause pain.

This delicate balancing system allows for fluid movement in the back. As time goes on, the quality of the discs lessens. This occurs due to a variety of stresses, such as sustained physical activity, diet, environmental conditions, and more.

Surrounding all of this are even more things. Facet joints can be found connecting the discs to each other, facilitating movement. Cartilage surrounds your back, providing tough, but flexible, protection from vertebral segments grinding against each other. Like degenerative disc disease, these things can also wear down after many years.

There is a large misconception about degenerative disc disease. Most people believe that degenerative disc disease is abnormal. This is actually untrue. Like all things, discs will degenerate over time. The harmful part of degenerating discs is the pain that can sometimes happen. This is what people refer to when discussing degenerative disc disease.

What Can I Do to Help Fight Degenerative Disc Disease?

The situation with degenerative disc disease is not a dire one, but it is serious. It can be an incredibly painful and arduous experience for those that face it. There are steps you can take to help address your pain.

Adjusting your posture is the first thing to take care of. By adjusting posture and keeping your spine in a straight line, you will be placing the appropriate amount of stress on all portions of your back. This opposes bad posture, which could stress out the affected disc. This may take time, but is worth it for both short and long term health benefits.

Eliminating any stimulants from your diet is also a tremendous benefit. Additives such as caffeine, alcohol, and more can cause serious damage to your health. Instead of exacerbating your condition with unstable elements, focus on reinvigorating your diet through a steady consumption of water and healthy foods.

Creating a calm exercise pattern for no less than 30 minutes can also help alleviate symptoms for degenerative disc disease. It is important to stress calm exercise. Overcompensating by running, climbing, or more can cause undue stress on an already delicate situation. Instead, calm movement will keep your body flexible enough without additional wear and tear.

If these do not work, pain medication is a common tool used to help cope. By taking Tylenol, ibuprofen, or other anti-inflammatory medications, this may help lessen the pain. If these do not work, surgery is a possibility.

The method of recovery that is most encouraged is physical therapy. By talking with a professional about your condition, your healing process is under the guidance of someone who is professional educated in pain. This knowledge can make the difference of years of recovery or months.