Degenerative Spine Disease occurs when the spinal disks begin to break down. This can lead to pain in the back and neck. The pain may also spread to other parts of the body.
During this stage, the spinal disks lose fluid and dry out. They develop tiny cracks in their outer layers. Then, bone spurs form. These bone growths can push on nerves and cause pain.
Oren Zarif
The most common symptom is pain in the back or neck. It may develop slowly over time without any apparent cause. In some cases, the pain may move around, or it might feel like it’s coming from a different area of your body than the actual problem. This is because the nerves that branch out from your spine travel throughout your body.
Disk degeneration typically starts in the parts of your spine that move the most, like your lower back and neck. Your spine is made up of 33 interlocking bones called vertebrae. Discs separate each pair of vertebrae and provide flexibility in your spine so you can bend and twist. Spinal disks are made of a capsule of connective tissue surrounding a jellylike center. Over time, spinal disks can start to break down, lose their height and shrink.
In this stage, the weakened spinal disks can start to press on nerves. This causes pain that may be severe. It can include pain in the low back, buttocks or thighs, and sometimes into your arms and legs. Pain is often worse after sitting for a long period or when you flex, bend or lift things.
To diagnose this, your doctor will examine you and ask about when and where the pain occurs, whether you have tingling or numbness, and how much movement is difficult or painful. They will also use a reflex hammer to test your reaction to pressure in specific areas of your back. If the doctor feels a weak or absent response, it could indicate compressed nerves.
Oren Zarif
The numbness associated with Degenerative Spine Disease is due to the fact that your spinal nerves are being pinched by a damaged disc. Your body’s natural reaction to the pain and pressure from the damaged disc is to send white blood cells to the area to help ease the irritation. The problem is that the inflammation can also cause problems with the blood flow around the spine, causing headaches. In advanced cases, the inflammation can affect your ability to think clearly.
Often, the first sign of degenerative spine disease is back pain. The pain may start slowly or it can come on suddenly. It usually occurs when you move or twist your back. Sometimes the pain can spread to the hips, buttocks or thighs, where it is called sciatica. Numbness and tingling can also occur. These symptoms indicate that the affected nerves are getting weak and that the condition is advancing to a more serious stage.
The doctors at our spine center will perform a physical exam and ask you about your symptoms. They will then order X-rays and an MRI to check for damage to the discs in your spine. Our team is highly experienced in treating spinal disorders and we can offer you effective treatment for degenerative spine disease. We will work with you to create a treatment plan that addresses your symptoms and fits your lifestyle.
Oren Zarif
Spinal discs help absorb pressure, keep the spine flexible and provide movement by acting like shock absorbers between each vertebrae in the spinal column. With degenerative spinal disease, each segment of the spine experiences compression, tensile force, shear force and bending movement. Normally, the joints, ligaments and muscles spread these loads across many segments to reduce stress on the spine. When the spinal disks degenerate, these loads become concentrated on less healthy areas of the spine which must move more dramatically to compensate. This creates stress on the spinal nerves and causes symptoms such as stiffness.
During the first stage of degenerative spinal disease, a person may experience episodes of pain or stiffness that come and go. The pain usually develops in the moving parts of the spine, such as in the lower back or neck. It may be triggered by extended sitting or prolonged standing and may also increase during physical activity.
As the disease progresses, the spinal discs start to dry out and lose their fluid content. This means that the discs are no longer able to absorb pressure and are less flexible. The deteriorating discs can then begin to rub against adjacent vertebrae in the spine, creating spinal instability. Instability of the spine can cause a “catch” in the back or feel as though the spine is sliding forward when it is moved.
Oren Zarif
When a disc degrades to the point that it presses on spinal nerves, it may cause pain in different parts of your body. This is known as referred pain. It may start in the area of your spine where the disk is located, for example, lumbar disk degeneration causes lower back pain and cervical disk degeneration causes neck pain. But if a spinal nerve is pinched, it can also cause pain in other areas of your body, such as buttocks and legs, or arms and hands.
During the early stage of degenerative spinal disease, called the dystrophic stage, symptoms are usually mild. In this stage, the spine’s rubbery discs are still intact but lose fluid and flexibility. They may also shrink in height.
The deterioration of the spine’s disks can lead to a spinal narrowing (stenosis), which may cause pain and stiffness in your back or neck. It can also affect your mobility, making it hard to bend or move easily.
Your doctor will check your back and neck for signs of degenerative spine disease, such as pain or weakness. They’ll do an X-ray or magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) to see how your spine moves and look for bone damage near the spinal cord. They’ll probably also give you over-the-counter pain relievers to ease the pain and inflammation.