How Did I Cure My Degenerative Disc Disease?
Struggling with degenerative disc disease was challenging, but through targeted exercises, lifestyle changes, and consistent care, I found a way to manage and significantly reduce my pain. In this video, I’ll share the key strategies that helped me regain mobility and improve my quality of life.
Degenerative Disc Disease: What is it?
The disorder known as degenerative disc disease causes the spine’s intervertebral discs to weaken and begin to degrade. This disorder might have many different causes. The rubbery cushions between your vertebrae (the bones that make up your spinal column) are called spinal discs. They serve as shock absorbers and facilitate comfortable movement, bending, and twisting. The degeneration of spinal discs is a normal aspect of aging and happens to everyone.
The bones may begin to rub against one another when the cushions wear down. In addition to discomfort, this touch may result in additional issues such as:
- Adult scoliosis is when your spine curves.
- A herniated disc is often called a ruptured, slipped, or bulged disc.
- The spinal canal narrowing is known as spinal stenosis.
- The movement of vertebrae in and out of position is known as spondylolisthesis.
What is the prevalence of Degenerative Disc Disease?
Even if they don’t have any symptoms, almost everyone has some disc degeneration beyond the age of 40. About 5% of individuals may get back discomfort as a result.
Causes of Degenerative Disc Disease:
As people age, their spinal discs naturally deteriorate. Most people have some disc degeneration, especially after the age of 40. However, pain is not felt by everyone.
You may have pain if your spinal discs:
- Dry out. The soft core of your discs is primarily composed of water. That core normally loses some water as you age. Consequently, discs become thinner and lose some of their shock-absorbing capacity.
- Crack or tear. Your spinal discs may develop tiny cracks as a result of minor trauma. These rips frequently occur close to nerves. Even tiny tears may cause pain because they can start an inflammatory transmission that affects adjacent tissues like nerves. A herniated disc, which is when the outer wall of your spinal disc splits open, might cause your disc to protrude out of alignment and pressure a spinal nerve.
Signs & Symptoms of Degenerative disc disease:
The most frequent degenerative disk disease symptoms include neck pain and back pain. You may suffer pain that:
- Lasts for weeks or months at a time and comes and goes.
- Radiates down your buttocks and lower back.
- Gets worse when you sit, bend, or lift.
What are the different phases of Degenerative Disc Disease?
The four steps listed below are used by medical professionals to diagnose degenerative disc disease:
- Dysfunction. You may be suffering from mild degenerative disc disease as a result of the degeneration of your spinal discs.
- Dehydration. Some of the height and flexibility of your spinal discs have been lost due to their beginning to dry up. At this point, your back and neck discomfort can get worse.
- Stabilization. Your spine is attempting to stabilize itself at this point, which may result in spinal stenosis and excruciating pain.
- Collapse. Your spine’s bones damage against one another, and your spinal discs keep getting smaller. Your nerves are compressed by the injured discs, resulting in excruciating agony.
Treatment of Degenerative Disc Disease:
Your doctor will often start by suggesting noninvasive therapy options for degenerative disc degeneration. The following might be part of your treatment:
- Physical therapy: Engaging in stretching and strengthening exercises under the guidance of a qualified physical therapist is known as physical therapy.
- Medication: Taking steroids, paracetamol, neuromodulation medications, or nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory medicines (NSAIDs).
- Steroid injections: A medication that reduces inflammation and pain by injecting it close to your spinal nerves, discs, or joints.
- Radiofrequency neurotomy: Using electric currents to burn sensory nerves and stop pain signals from getting to your brain is known as radiofrequency neurotomy.
Self-care for degenerative disc disease:
Some individuals use home remedies to relieve their pain. Pain may be temporarily reduced by at-home therapies. However, they aren’t a permanent solution for badly deteriorated discs. You might try:
- Exercise. Back muscles can be strengthened and some pain can be reduced with low-impact exercises like swimming or walking.
- Cold and hot treatment. Soreness and inflammation can be decreased by switching between heating pads and cold packs every ten to fifteen minutes, up to four times a day.
- Stretching. Stretching and mild yoga can help reduce tension and enhance posture throughout the day.
- Traction. Traction might reduce tension and alleviate pain.
- Lose weight
- Stop smoking
- Wear a back brace
Different approaches to treating degenerative disc disease:
In addition to reducing pain and symptoms, many vitamins may help prevent degenerative disease in its early stages. The effects of these supplements are still being investigated, though. These consist of:
- Glucosamine
- Chondroitin sulfate
Additional alternative or complementary therapy for symptom management might include:
- Acupuncture
- Massage
- Spinal manipulation
- Low-level laser therapy
- Yoga
- Tai chi
- Meditation and mindfulness
- Stem cell therapy
- Gene therapy
If I have Degenerative Disc Disease, what should I avoid?
Avoid the following while dealing with degenerative disc disease:
- Smoking might exacerbate your pain and reduce the effectiveness of your medication.
- Lifting heavy objects. The discs in your back are strained and stressed by heavy lifting, especially if you do it frequently.
- Consuming alcohol. Back pain is more likely to occur if you consume excessive amounts of alcoholic beverages.
- Prolonged durations of sitting. Your back pain will worsen if you sit at your desk or on the couch for extended periods. Therefore, be careful to occasionally get up and walk about.
- physical with a high impact. Your back may suffer from sports and other physical activities requiring high-impact motions like running and leaping. Try low-impact exercises like swimming and walking instead.
Risk factors for Degenerative Disc Disease:
People 40 years of age and older are more likely to have degenerative disc disease. The following are some variables that raise your risk of degenerative disc disease:
- Acute injuries, such as falls
- Obesity
- Women are more highly susceptible to having symptoms.
- Smoking
- Working in a physically demanding occupation
FAQs
How does degenerative disc disease affect daily life?
Choose the ideal posture, such as leaning back rather than sitting at night to watch TV.
Take into account prescription drugs for pain management or over-the-counter drugs to prevent inflammation.
To strengthen your back and neck muscles, which support your spine, think about physical therapy.
When you have degenerative disc disease, what foods should you avoid?
Avoiding meals and drinks that increase inflammation may thus be beneficial. Among them are sugary drinks like sodas, processed meat, including lunch meats, sausage and bacon.
Does a degenerative disc benefit from walking?
Maintaining a healthy weight and avoiding activities that put undue strain on your back can also help manage DDD symptoms. Regular exercise, especially low-impact activities like walking or swimming, might also be advantageous.
Can degenerative disc disease be prevented?
By altering your lifestyle to reduce weight, increase physical activity, quit smoking, and other habits, you may be able to avoid or lessen the consequences of degenerative disc disease (DDD). DDD cannot be completely prevented because it is mostly an age-related condition.
What is the ideal sitting position for someone with disc degeneration?
Therefore, it might be quite beneficial to try to enhance your posture with the proper ergonomic support and seating position. Sitting with your back straight and the tops of your legs parallel to the floor is generally recommended.
What fruit is best for disc issues?
Fruits high in water content Fruits with high water content, such as watermelon, cantaloupe, and peaches, are crucial for keeping the intervertebral discs hydrated, which keeps them robust and plump and lowers the chance of further damage.
How can someone who has degenerative disc degeneration sleep?
If you have DDD, resting on your back is the most pleasant and supportive posture, although side sleeping is OK as well. To maintain your spine neutral during the night, it’s recommended to employ supports.
Does consuming water aid in the deterioration of discs?
Cigarette smoking can have a major impact on disc health and accelerate the pace of deterioration, in addition to raising your risk of heart disease, stroke, lung disease, and cancer. Drink less Alcohol and more water. Drinking too much alcohol dehydrates the body; staying hydrated encourages healthy discs and a healthy body.
Is it possible to heal completely from degenerative disc disease?
Degenerative disc disease cannot be completely prevented. You can, however, reduce your pain levels and slow the deterioration of your spinal discs. Your doctor should provide you with detailed instructions on how to live with DDD if you have been diagnosed with this ailment.
What is the last stage of degenerative disc disease?
The last stage of degenerative disc disease is called the collapse stage. At this point, the intervertebral discs have severely degraded, causing the vertebrae to tumble. As a result, the spine becomes shorter, which can lead to severe long-term discomfort and disability.
References
- News-Medical. (2019, October 21). Degenerative Disc Disease Treatment and Self-Care. https://www.news-medical.net/health/Degenerative-Disc-Disease-Treatment-and-Self-Care.aspx
- Degenerative disk Disease. (2025, February 12). Cleveland Clinic. https://my.clevelandclinic.org/health/diseases/16912-degenerative-disk-disease
- Back pain: Bad habits for your back. (2022, April 21). MedicineNet. https://www.medicinenet.com/back_pain_bad_habits/article.htm
