Degenerative Disc Disease

Spinal discs absorb the shocks and over time break down. But not everybody experiences pain. If run-down discs give you pain, you have degenerative disc disease.

What is Degenerative Disc Disease?

Degenerative disc disease isn’t truly a disease and everyone develops degenerated discs as they age. When the discs leak, people often experience pain and numbness. If there are no leaks, there are no symptoms. Every degenerated disc begins as a single annular tear. The tear progressively worsens to become multiple disc tears, and then finally escalates into disc degeneration. Every MRI and CT study finds that everyone over the age of 60 has some disc degeneration. Kevin Pauza, MD states that: “it is not a disease in the strictest sense of the word, because it occurs in almost everyone.” Disc degeneration leads to bone spurs and to spinal arthritis as discs continue collapsing. Stem cells alone can’t help degenerative discs, because stem cells would leak out, as it has no sealant. That is why Dr. Pauza focused on developing the Fibrin disc sealant. We’re even using Fibrin to seal stem cells into the otherwise leaky, degenerated discs. The Discseel^® procedure holds the only real potential cure to this debilitating condition.

Types of Problems and Causes of Degenerative Disc Disease

There are many problems that may arise from degenerative disc disease. Besides the initial lack of movement and back pain, degenerative discs can impede one from doing the things they love most in life. This could be anything from running to kayaking to walking the dog. Degenerative disc disease is sometimes associated with arthritis and even bone spurs, so the pain surrounding the degeneration is a significant problem for those affected. Disc degeneration can lead to other spinal problems such as:

Spinal stenosis – leads to nerve or spinal cord pinching
Osteoarthritis in the spine – changes in the joints of the spine due to degeneration
Spondylolisthesis – where a vertebra slips forward on another vertebra
Scoliosis – where discs degenerate in lopsided ways causing a curve in the spine

Causes of Degenerative Disc Disease

The causes behind this condition are considered a natural part of aging. To be sure, the condition is variable in its nature and severity. Some people simply get it and some do not. But there are several factors that can be considered to play a role:

The daily activities you do, including sports
Back injuries stemming from sports, car, etc.
The drying out of a disc

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Symptoms

The symptoms of degenerative disc disease are concentrated in the lower back and neck, but can occur anywhere there is degeneration. They include:

Mild to severe pain
Pain that radiates to the buttocks and thighs, as well as the arms and hands
Pain that is worse when sitting, bending, lifting or twisting
Pain that is better when changing positions frequently
Periods of varying pain, from a few days to a few months
Numbness in the extremities
Weakness in leg muscles or feet
Muscle spasms or tension
A feeling that your neck or back cannot support, loss of balance

One can see that there is a wide range of symptoms associated with degenerative disc disease. Despite all these, there are methods of treatment available to those who seek it.

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Treatment for Degenerated Disc Disease

Diagnosis

Before you can get treated for degenerative disc disease, you must first be diagnosed. If you are coming here with the diagnosis, you are one step ahead! We simply want to inform you of the safest practice. A diagnosis can be obtained from your doctor with a medical history, a physical exam, and some sort of imaging test, which is usually an MRI. From here the treatment options are explored.

Other Treatments

All standard treatments for degenerative discs consist of some measure of exercise or physical therapy in order to increase the strength and flexibility of the muscles around the spine. This increases the already stifled blood flow to the spine as well. Other treatments are:

Medication (anti-inflammatory, pain relievers, steroid injections)
Spinal fusion
Artificial disc replacement
Heat and cold therapy
Spinal mobilization(s)
TENS (transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation)

Why the Discseel^® Procedure is Best

The Discseel^® Procedure is far less invasive, has a much shorter recovery time, and allows patients a greater range of motion than a spinal fusion. The Discseel^® Procedure prompts the patient’s body to heal itself without the use of metal hardware and doesn’t have the risk of long term complications and opiod dependency like a spinal fusion.