![]() Injections, medications, physical therapy and strengthening your core can ease symptoms. Weight loss can be extremely beneficial, along with decreasing the manual labor on the spine. Nonsurgical treatments are important throughout the continuum. ![]() There are many treatment options for degenerative disk disease. A person with this level of progression can experience severe pain, stiffness and possibly nerve compression. Then, the person only has an air-filled space between the vertebrae, or the bones of two vertebral bodies directly contact each other. If the disks continue to degrade, it can result in a complete loss of the disk. A ruptured disk, sometimes called a herniated or slipped disk, happens when the inner part of the disk, the nucleus pulposus, leaks out of the disk through a crack in the annulus fibrosis. Often people have a bulging or ruptured disk with no symptoms, but sometimes this can cause symptoms in one or both legs.Ī bulging disk happens when the outer layer of the disk, the annulus fibrosis, bulges into the spinal canal. A person could develop a ruptured or bulging disk. Often, the disks that are low in the spine degenerate first.Īs degeneration progresses further, the disks dry out even more and may begin pushing on nerves. This leads to disks shrinking and a loss of disk height. They become dehydrated and are not as rubbery or soft. Progression can be stagnant, slow or fast.Īs degenerative disk disease begins, the spinal disks start to lose fluidity. It may or may not worsen or cause symptoms. ![]() Degeneration progressionĮveryone has a degree of degeneration with time. Sex plays a factor, as females are more likely than males to develop degenerative disk disease.įactors that can be controlled include excess body weight and spine strain due to manual labor, poor posture or heavy lifting. adults have some amount of degeneration by age 65. The center area of each disk is filled with a soft, gel-like substance.ĭegenerative disk disease is a result of multiple factors, some that can be controlled and others that can't.Īge and time increase the odds of developing degenerative disk disease. It forms a ring or circle around the inner core of the disk. This is the sturdy yet flexible outer layer of the disk. Each is made up of two parts that work together to absorb and cushion the spine: There are 23 disks in the spinal column, running from the base of the skull to the tailbone. It's first important to understand the structure or anatomy of disks. Here's what you need to know about this common condition. This is called degenerative disk disease, which is usually a slow degradation of disks over time. The disk is flexible with fluid, and it fills the space between the vertebrae and provides necessary cushion to allow their spines to bend and flex fully without pain.ĭisks wear out with age and use. Like air bags in a car, they prevent the vertebrae from hitting each other and are shock absorbers.įor most young people, disks are healthy. Disks are fluid-filled cushions between the bones in your spine.
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