Degenerative disk Disease

Degenerative Disk Disease is one of the most common reasons for seeing a spine specialist. Most people by the time they are thirty will have at least one degenerative disk. In our fifties, everyone will show degeneration. By the time we are seventy, none will show any good disks. A degenerative disk loses cushion over time as seen on the MRI as a loss of fluid, bulging and narrowing. Normal aging shows degeneration, but not all degenerative disks are painful. This makes it very difficult to determine the exact problem with the source of back pain. This is the most controversial subject in spine surgery and the source of so many failed surgeries that everyone has heard.
The most common complaint is back pain, stiffness, and muscle aches. The pain is worse with staying in one position, sitting is the worst. Nerve problems are not as common, except if there is stenosis. This problem is simple “arthritis” of the spine.
Treatment should always stay to the conservative. Medications, therapy and behavioral changes are the first treatment. If a degenerative disk is isolated, severe, with normal adjacent disks, surgery can be considered, if conservative measures fail to improve. Typically, the gold standard is a fusion surgery or new technology of the artificial disk replacement shows promise, but is not yet fully demonstrated superiority.