The great majority of persons with lumbar degenerative disc degeneration and/or sciatica symptoms will be able to adequately manage their pain and avoid surgery. It is important to be aware of the many options for treatment, as well as consideration of your personal needs when selecting an approach.
Lifestyle changes are the first step in treating any illness, and they can also help prevent further damage to your back. These include:
Avoiding activities that are beyond your ability to perform them safely. For example, if you have chronic lower back pain, it may be best not to lift objects that weigh more than 10 pounds.
Taking time off work to rest your back. If you don't take time off, you run the risk of suffering long-term problems from repeated use of your muscles.
Seeing your doctor if you experience pain when moving your bowels or bladder. This may indicate a problem with your spine.
Getting medical attention if you experience sudden severe pain in your back. This may be due to a serious injury such as a burst blood vessel or tumor pressing on a nerve.
Living with lumbar degenerative disc disease requires that you make some lifestyle adjustments.
Degenerative disc disease can cause long-term, excruciating back pain if not treated properly. The discomfort may become so intense that you are unable to do your typical daily activities. It can impair your movement and general quality of life.
If you aren't getting adequate sleep at night and don't take care of yourself during the day, your body will suffer as a result. Your immune system will be compromised, leaving you more susceptible to illness. You are also much more likely to get back problems as you age if you aren't taking care of yourself.
The best course of action is to see your doctor so he/she can conduct an accurate diagnosis of your condition. Depending on the results of your examination, your doctor may suggest one or more of the following treatments: rest, physical therapy, anti-inflammatory medications, steroid injections, or surgery.
Surgery is usually the last option given to patients with degenerative disc disease. However, it may be required by some people who aren't improving with other treatment methods. In certain cases, spinal fusion may be recommended. This procedure involves connecting two or more bones together with bone grafts and metal rods to prevent them from moving out of place.
Spinal fusion is used to treat chronic back pain caused by degenerative disc disease.
While disc degeneration cannot be reversed, there is evidence that exercise, lifestyle modifications, and careful management of back pain can help you live a better life. Disc degeneration is the leading cause of disability in people under 45 years old. It affects approximately 5% of the population over the age of 20 and almost half of all persons by 40 years old.
Disc degeneration results in a loss of disc height and ligamentous laxity, which in turn increases your risk of developing spinal stenosis and other spine-related problems. However, there are things you can do to prevent it from progressing.
Exercise and maintain a healthy weight are both important in preventing disc degeneration. A study conducted at the University of Michigan found that individuals who participated in a program designed to promote physical activity and improve diet saw their rate of disc degeneration reduced by 21%. Another study published in the Journal of the American Medical Association showed that being overweight or obese increases your risk of disc degeneration by about 50%.
Sleep is also crucial for maintaining good health and helping you fight off disease. In a study published in 2004, researchers investigated the relationship between sleep quality and disc degeneration. They concluded that poor sleep quality is associated with increased rates of disc degeneration.
The good news is that degenerative disc disease seldom causes long-term impairment and rarely need surgery. In reality, in most cases of degenerative disc degeneration, basic strength and stretching exercises can help relieve back and neck pain. /span>
The bad news is that degenerative disc disease is a term used to describe when the discs between your bones in your spine start to break down with age. As these discs deteriorate, they lose their ability to cushion the vertebrae within your spine. This can lead to pain as well as neurological problems such as numbness or weakness in your limbs. Surgery may be needed to correct some of these problems but in many cases this is unnecessary as there are many non-surgical treatments available for degenerative disc disease.
Stretching is very important for anyone who experiences back or neck pain. Stretching helps increase the blood flow to your joints which reduces pain and swelling if you do experience an injury. It also increases your body's ability to repair damaged tissues which means you go through less time recovering from injuries.
You should try to include gentle stretching in your daily routine. You can do this before you move something heavy or go for a long walk. This will help prevent future problems with stiffness and pain.
Indeed, over 90% of people with degenerative disc degeneration will discover that their low back pain and other symptoms disappear or diminish within three months. However, if you have severe cases of degenerative disc disease, it may take longer for your symptoms to resolve.
The good news is that most people who suffer from degenerative disc disease can expect their symptoms to improve even though it may take a while. In fact, many patients are able to return to a more active lifestyle fairly quickly once they are done recovering from surgery.
However, if you have severe symptoms or complications from the disease, you may need to wait until your medical issues are resolved before starting an exercise program. In addition, people who have already suffered nerve damage due to degenerative disc disease may not be able to handle intense physical activity right away. Finally, individuals who are obese may have more difficulty exercising because doing so may increase their stress on injured discs. If this describes you, you should consider these facts when planning how to move your body after being diagnosed with degenerative disc disease.
In general, you should try to be patient with yourself and allow time for your body to heal after surgery.