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• Degenerative Disc Disease

What is Degenerative Disc Disease?

The question, “What is degenerative disc disease?” has a very simple answer—as we age, the soft discs between our vertebrae begin to deteriorate. However, the symptoms of degenerative disc disease and the possible treatment options are not so simple. Treatments can take a variety of forms, depending on the location and severity of your degenerative spine disorder.

Examples of Degeneration

Degenerative disc disease is actually an umbrella term that can refer to several conditions affecting the intervertebral discs. Our intervertebral discs are made of fibrocartilage that can break down after a lifetime of wear and tear. Because these discs both protect our backbone and serve a connective function, disc damage can present several problems, including:

• Herniated disc - the outer wall of a disc has torn and extruded its disc material into the spinal column
• Bulging disc - the outer wall of a disc has weakened, allowing the disc to push beyond its normal perimeter
• Thinning disc - the disc has lost its cushioning power and has collapsed, allowing adjacent vertebrae to rub together and possibly pinch nerve roots
• Spinal stenosis - a general narrowing of the spinal column, primarily due to any of the above conditions

Causes of Degenerative Pain

For all of these degenerative spine conditions, the main problem arises when the nerves in the spinal column become constricted. It is this compression that causes the common symptoms of numbness, tingling, pain, and loss of mobility. If you have spoken with your doctor and he or she has diagnosed you with a degenerative spine disease, you may want to consider surgery.

Click Here to see how you can get your life back in 5 days

If this is the case, Laser Spine Institute (LSI) would like to introduce you to our state-of-the-art, endoscopic disc procedures. We use minimally invasive, outpatient procedures so that the next time you ask “What is degenerative disc disease and how do I treat it?” you don’t need to be afraid of the answer. Contact us today for a free review of your MRI or CT scan.

Please note: Laser Spine Institute currently does not perform endoscopic procedures on the thoracic spine.