How can I prevent degenerative disc disease from getting worse?
Preventing Degenerative Disc Disease
- Stop smoking, or better yet, don’t start — smoking increases the rate of desiccation.
- Be active – regular exercise to increase the strength and flexibility of muscles that surround and support the spine.
- Lift with proper body mechanics to avoid stressing your spine and herniating your discs.
What is the best treatment for degenerative disc disease?
Methods of pain control may include anti-inflammatory medications, manual manipulation, steroid injections, electrical stimulation, back braces or heat/ice therapy. Physical therapy can help stretch and strengthen the right muscles to help the back heal and reduce the frequency of painful flare-ups.
Does drinking water help degenerative disc disease?
“Drinking plenty of water is so important for everyone, but especially if you have degenerative disc disease,” says Dearing. She adds that staying hydrated can help your spine in other ways, not just by maintaining the water content of the spinal discs.
Can you become paralyzed from degenerative disc disease?
This is called a disc herniation. If the disc herniates in the direction of the spinal cord or nerve root, it can cause neurologic compromise. Disc herniations in the cervical spine can be serious. If significant enough, they can cause paralysis of both the upper and lower extremities, though this is extremely rare.
Does walking help degenerative disc disease?
Aerobic exercise. Regular aerobic exercise, such as walking, swimming, or taking a low-impact aerobics class, has been shown to help relieve pain, promote a healthy body weight, and improve overall strength and mobility—all important factors in managing DDD.
Is sitting bad for degenerative disc disease?
Degenerative disc disease can certainly be exacerbated by sitting. People with this condition often find that sitting for long periods can cause them a lot of pain, so they tend to favor standing.
What vitamins are good for degenerative disc disease?
Vitamin D is essential along with weight-bearing exercises, calcium, magnesium, and overall good nutrition for strong healthy bones. Disc degeneration. The shock absorbing discs in the spine are made of collagen.
Can you live a normal life with degenerative disc disease?
Can you live a normal life with degenerative disc disease? The answer is yes, even it forces you to be out of work for an extended amount of time. Do not give up. There are many methods of pain relief that you can do at home that can help you live a normal life.
How should you sleep when you have degenerative disc disease?
Degenerative disc disease Sleeping on the stomach is typically preferred, as this position can relieve pressure on the disc space. People with degenerative disc disease may feel most comfortable using a relatively firm mattress while placing a flat pillow under the stomach and hips.
What are the stages of degenerative disc disease?
The Different Stages of Degenerative Disc Disease
- Stage 1. In the beginning, the spine may lose its normal balance or curvature. During this time, the discs, nerves and your posture may suffer.
- Stage 2. At this stage, your postural changes may be greater as the degeneration is greater.
- Stage 3. Further posture issues occur at this stage.
What foods help degenerative disc disease?
Leafy greens are one of the very best things anyone can eat, offering tons of vitamin K and helping protect the body from inflammation, Osteoporosis and things like Degenerative Disc Disease.
Can turmeric help with degenerative disc disease?
Turmeric is known to have pain-reducing power and helps reduce inflammation. Turmeric can be found fresh, dried or powdered. Curcumin, known for its antioxidants and anti-inflammatory activities, is an active compound found in turmeric and can aid with pain relief.
Is a heating pad good for degenerative disc disease?
Heat therapy. Using heat from a heating pad, adhesive wrap, warm bath or other heat source can relax the surrounding muscles and reduce tension and spasms, a significant contributor to degenerative disc pain.
Does massage help with degenerative disc disease?
Massage can help improve the symptoms associated with Degenerative Disc Disease for a prolonged duration of time as long as you continue to follow the maintenance schedule that your Massage Therapist lays out. Massage therapy typically reduces muscle strain, improves flexibility, and mitigates pain.
What kind of exercise can you do with degenerative disc disease?
Try walking, water aerobics, yoga, Pilates, and stretching. Lifting heavy weights or running marathons might not be a good idea if you have significant disc degeneration or many DDD symptoms. Instead, your goal should be regular, moderate exercise, which will help strengthen your muscles, bones, and joints.
Can a chiropractor help with degenerative disc?
Chiropractic Treatments for Degenerative Disc Disease The chiropractor may also work on improving the function of the intervertebral discs—but that’s only if you do not have advanced disc degeneration. To help treat your DDD symptoms, your chiropractor may use spinal manipulation (also called spinal adjustment).
How do you fix a degenerative disc in your neck?
For neck pain stemming from cervical degenerative disc disease, a doctor will typically recommend one or a combination of the following treatment options:
- Rest or lifestyle modification.
- Pain management with medication or injections.
- Ice and/or heat therapy.
How can I sleep with degenerative disc disease in my neck?
The best sleeping positions for neck pain are usually side sleeping or sleeping on your back. You’ll also want your pillow to be the right thickness such that it doesn’t cause you to bend your head too far forward if you’re sleeping on your back or too far to one side if you’re sleeping on your side.
What are the symptoms of degenerative disc disease in the neck?
When cervical degenerative disc disease becomes symptomatic, the pain might develop slowly over time or appear suddenly. The symptoms can range from mildly annoying neck discomfort to debilitating pain, numbness, and/or weakness that radiates into the arm and hand.
What happens when a disc completely degenerates?
Over time, a degenerating disc may break down completely and leave no space between vertebrae, which can result in impaired movement, pain, and nerve damage.
Why is disc degeneration so painful?
Abnormal micro-motion instability. These micro-motions can cause tension and irritation in the surrounding muscles, joints, and/or nerve roots as the spinal segment becomes progressively more unstable, causing intermittent episodes of more intense pain.
What is the prognosis for degenerative disc disease?
Because up to 98 percent of disc problems get better without surgery, it is not needed if the symptoms can be controlled. Tingling and numbness get better in most cases, and weakness in the muscles may take longer to recover. Some patients have recurrent bouts of back pain with or without nerve involvement.
How long does it take for degenerative disc disease to progress?
The degenerative process of the spinal disc may start gradually or suddenly, but progresses over 2 to 3 decades from severe and at times even disabling bouts of pain to a state in which the spine is restabilized and the pain is diminished.
What foods should you avoid with degenerative disc disease?
Dietary fats are connected to obesity and inflammation, as well as type 2 diabetes, all conditions that a person with degenerative disc disease should aim to avoid. Processed meats (i.e. bacon, bologna, hot dogs) and animal proteins.
Can heavy lifting cause degenerative disc disease?
Degenerative disc disease is often part of the natural aging process. But WebMd says these changes are more likely to occur in people who do heavy physical work such as repeated heavy lifting. A sudden injury that causes a herniated disc (such as a fall) may also begin the degeneration process.
Does DDD get worse with age?
The condition starts with damage to the spine, but in time, symptoms can affect other parts of the body. Symptoms usually get worse with age. The discomfort can range from mild to severe and debilitating. It can lead to osteoarthritis, with pain and stiffness in the back.