Degenerative Disc Disease Treatment Methods
If you've been diagnosed with degenerative disc disease, treatment may be necessary to help alleviate symptoms. The condition, which isn't an actual disease, occurs when the spine's intervertebral discs deteriorate – often at an earlier age and at a more rapid pace than typical, age-related degeneration.
The breakdown of the shock-absorbing discs often sets off a chain reaction of additional degenerative conditions within the spine, such as bulging or herniated discs, spondylolisthesis (slipped vertebra), and facet joint disease. As a result, your primary care physician or spine specialist will likely recommend treatments based on the level of degeneration present in the spinal column, the secondary conditions being caused by the degeneration, the severity and frequency of your symptoms, and your overall health.
Conservative Treatments
Degenerative disc disease, and its associated conditions, can cause focal pain and radiating pain, numbness, weakness, and tingling if the resulting anatomical abnormalities compress the spinal cord or a nerve root. To begin treating these symptoms, your doctor may initially recommend a course of conservative (nonsurgical) treatments. These methods focus on reducing symptoms by non-surgically relieving the pressure placed on a neural structure, or by deadening pain within the nerve.
Treatments may include:
- Non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) – to block the inflammation-inducing proteins within a degenerative intervertebral disc and surrounding tissues; also helps to reduce pain
- Analgesics – to relieve pain
- Physical therapy – to promote proper body mechanics, spinal alignment, core muscle strength, and flexibility
- Cold therapy – to numb pain and reduce inflammation of irritated tissues
Alternative Treatments
The true effectiveness of alternative treatments is continually debated within the mainstream healthcare system, but you may choose to explore the all-natural, holistic approach to pain relief that alternative methods provide. Such options include massage, chiropractic adjustments, acupuncture, acupressure, and yoga, among others.
In Conclusion
If you are seeking degenerative disc disease treatment, talk with your doctor to determine which conservative and/or alternative methods will work best for you. You'll likely find significant relief after several weeks or months of such treatments. Surgery may only become a treatment option if all nonsurgical methods have been exhausted with no noticeable change in symptoms.
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