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Age and Its Contribution to a Slipped Disc

A slipped disc, which is a bit of a misnomer, refers to an intervertebral disc’s outer wall (annulus fibrosus) that has ruptured, or torn, and extruded its inner disc fluid (nucleus pulposus) into the spinal canal. For many people, a slipped disc can remain asymptomatic, but when the disc material interferes with neural activity, symptoms of pain, tingling, and numbness can develop.

Causes of a slipped disc can include anything from overexertion and poor posture to traumatic injury or disease. However, the single most common cause of a slipped disc is simply the natural degeneration of cartilaginous tissue that accompanies the aging process.

How Do Our Bodies Change as We Age?

As we age, our bodies change in a variety of ways and the spine is no exception. In the case of a degenerative spine, development of a slipped disc is gradual and may include the following factors:

• Bone density – Due to the loss of calcium and other minerals, bone density gradually decreases as we get older, especially in Caucasian or Asian women over the age of 50. If your vertebrae become weak and unable to support the spine’s movements, this added pressure falls on the intervertebral discs.
• Cartilage dehydration – With the aging process comes the general dehydration of soft tissues, like skin and cartilage. Water loss causes the intervertebral discs to become brittle, inelastic, and susceptible to “slippage” or disc herniation.
• Tissue ossification – As we get older, ligaments can undergo ossification, which is a gradual thickening and hardening due to calcium deposits. While an abnormally thickened ligament may not directly cause a slipped disc, this does contribute to the overall loss of spinal flexibility, which in turn exerts extra pressure on the intervertebral discs.

Relieving the Pain of a Slipped Disc

If your doctor has confirmed that you’re suffering from a slipped disc, work with your healthcare professionals to plan a conservative treatment regimen that works for you. This could include massage, Pilates, yoga, hydrotherapy, acupuncture, pain medication, TENS, or epidural steroid injections. If weeks or months of these non-operative methods fail to alleviate your pain, contact Laser Spine Institute. Our orthopedic experts are waiting to tell you more about our minimally invasive nerve decompression procedures that are performed on an outpatient basis using advanced endoscopic technology. We’d be happy to review your MRI or CT scan, completely free of charge, and explain how you can rediscover your life without back or neck pain.

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