1-

• Contact Laser Spine Institute
• Request MRI Review
• Medical Spine Seminar

You are here

• Home
• »
• Spine Conditions

Degenerative Disc Disorder

Degenerative disc disorder, which is also known as degenerative disc disease, is a common source of back and neck pain and often accompanies the natural aging process. Not symptomatic by itself, degenerative disc disorder is the gradual thinning and weakening of the soft cushions, or discs, between the bony spinal vertebrae. As discs weaken and become structurally unsound, the risk of disc herniation, swelling, or fragmentation is greatly increased. Errant disc material can put undue pressure on the local nerve infrastructure, which can lead to nerve compression or irritation in patients. It is this compression that causes symptoms.

Degenerative disc disorder can happen on multiple levels of the spine, and depending on the pathology of the problem, can be the origin of a variety of symptoms known collectively as radiculopathy, including:

• Local, deep pain
• Radiating pain along the nerve
• Numbness and tingling in the extremities
• Muscle weakness
• Sciatica
• Bowel and bladder incontinence (in rare, emergency situations)
• And more

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

Treatment of degenerative disc disorder is contingent on the correct diagnosis of the condition with medical imagery. This is important because it ensures that the patient’s symptoms aren’t being caused by another underlying problem. Normally, if a patient is exhibiting symptoms of degenerative disc disease, the symptoms can be managed without surgery. A doctor will typically recommend some form of exercise, the use of heat and ice, and some good rest. The use of pain medication – either prescription or over-the-counter painkillers – may also be suggested. Epidural steroid injections also might be recommended to reduce inflammation of affected nerves.

Occasionally, if the symptoms have not been effectively handled after several months of conservative treatment, the option of surgery may be considered. In this case, the traditional surgical option has been an open-back or open-neck procedure. These invasive surgeries have a number of inherent risks, require hospitalization, and have lengthy recovery periods, making it a major decision to undergo spine surgery. Alternatively, a relatively new field of minimally invasive endoscopic procedures has arisen as a popular option. These gentle, laser-guided procedures are done on an outpatient basis and are a proven-effective way to help address degenerative disc disorder, without many of the risks of open-back or open-neck surgery. To learn more about endoscopic spine surgery and for a free review of your MRI or CT scan, contact Laser Spine Institute (LSI) today.

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