What Causes Degenerative Disk Disease?

07 Feb

Posted by admin as Back Pain

Degenerative Disc Disease (DDD) is a process that may involve one intervertebral disc or numerous. It is a common condition, at least thirty percent of individuals aged 30-50 years old will have a degree of DDD, although many will have no pain from it.

It involves loss of hydration to the disc which is normally 80% water and can be from natural causes, post traumatic, genetics, essentially numerous causes, some of which we know and some we don’t.

Here are the ones we know:

1) Acute injury to the back – This may occur from a car accident or some other accident that causes the disc to sustain tears in the outer portion of the disc. The outer portion is called the annulus and is the part that has the nerve endings where pain occurs.

2) Wear and tear – Repetitive disc injury, such as occurs with occupations like truck driving or those involving heavy lifting, may over time cause disc degeneration and neck pain or back pain depending on where the problem occurs.

3) Post-surgical – Individuals who have had a discectomy for a herniated disc will have less disk after the diskectomy than before. With less spongy material to support body loads, the remaining disc will have a higher propensity for degeneration.

4) Obesity – Higher body mass will put higher stress on the discs and possibly enhance the degeneration.

5) Genetics – You may be predisposed to excessive disc wear and tear, so if someone in your family has or had degenerative disc disease, you may also develop back or neck pain related to DDD.

6) Smoking – This habit may decrease the fluid in the disc and may cause faster degeneration. Smoking reduces the amount of fluid in your disks, and that water is what assists your disks absorbing stresses from movement successfully. With decreased water content, the intervertebral discs may wear out quicker.

As you see, there are certain causes of DDD that may be controlled, however genetics is not one of them. If you are suffering from Degenerative Disc Disease, being evaluated by an Arizona Pain Center may help provide effective treatment. This treatment can involve physical therapy, arizona chiropractor, or pain management.

What Causes Degenerative Disk Disease?

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