Understanding a Degenerative Disc Disease Diagnosis

When your doctor gives you a degenerative disc disease diagnosis, it has many implications that come along with it. The first and most obvious is that the intervertebral discs in your spine are degenerating and losing the form they once had. Some degeneration is totally normal, though, and is not much of a cause for concern. However, disc deterioration can lead to further problems that may require treatment. Your doctor will explain your risk for further problems based on the degree of your disc degeneration and provide treatment recommendations for you.

Knowing How Your Nerves Were Pinched

If you received a degenerative disc disease diagnosis, it is likely that you are suffering from pain, stiffness, muscle weakness, muscle spasms, numbness in the extremities, or a sense of pins and needles. After all, it is these symptoms that would lead you to a doctor in the first place. These symptoms are present because the disc degeneration, one way or another, has constricted the spinal cord or a nearby nerve root. And, not only will the diagnosis that your doctor gives you confirm your disc degeneration, but it may also describe exactly how your spinal cord or nerve root became constricted - for instance, from a herniated disc, bone spur, or slipped vertebra. The latter is valuable information that will be used to formulate a specific treatment plan, and help to reduce, and possibly completely eradicate, your symptoms.

After the Diagnosis

When your doctor gives you your diagnosis, the next step will be for him or her to formulate a specific treatment plan tailored for you. Degenerative disc disease is fairly common, and in many cases, the symptoms will eventually subside on their own as your body adjusts to the age-related changes in your spine. With this being said, the treatments for DDD are aimed at masking the symptoms and not at actually treating the condition, since age-related deterioration cannot be reversed. Doctors generally recommend conservative treatments at first that will simply focus on minimizing the symptoms. These treatment efforts can include physical therapy, hot and cold packs, nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs), and bed rest. In most cases, patients report significant relief from the implementation of these treatments.