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Degenerative Disc Disease Therapy
Degenerative disc disease therapy is the subject of much controversy and debate in the medical community. Some care providers consider DDD a painful disorder which requires aggressive treatment. Most doctors realize that
degenerative disc disease
is simply a normal and universal part of the aging process which is rarely solely responsible for serious or
chronic back pain.
Regardless of your view concerning the nature of DDD, it is important to analyze any potential therapy option in order to determine if the treatment meets the care requirements of the particular patient.
Degenerative Disc Disease Therapy Facts
DDD is NOT a disease, despite its nomenclature. It is merely a term used to describe the usual and expected degenerative processes which act upon the
intervertebral discs.
The entire body is subject to the effects of age and the
spine
is no exception. Some cases of DDD can be severe, eliminating almost the entire disc structure. This type of condition may cause pain and symptoms for some time, but will usually resolve itself, even with no treatment given.
Symptomatic treatments
for DDD will not repair discs, nor restore any lost disc height. The only possible solutions for true DDD related pain are
back surgery
and
spinal decompression.
The vast majority of patients diagnosed with DDD are actually suffering from
psychological back pain
which has been blamed on coincidental disc degeneration.
Symptomatic Degenerative Disc Disease Therapy
Symptomatic treatments are therapies designed to improve the quality of life while living with a painful disorder. They do not do anything to improve the underlying condition and they WILL NOT provide a cure. The majority of therapy options commonly prescribed for DDD are considered symptomatic treatments. While some of these treatments are very soothing and helpful to a suffering patient, others are problematic and can create more harm than good. This is especially true for treatment modalities which are physically addictive or therapies which enslave the patient into long term treatment programs without providing any cure at the end. Make sure to understand what you can expect from a particular treatment before agreeing to any extended therapy regimen. Detailed information on particular therapy options for DDD can be found on my
BACK PAIN TREATMENTS
page.
Degenerative Disc Disease Therapy Advice
I was diagnosed with DDD in my late teens. I could not believe that my spine was crumbing at such a young age. I was prescribed a variety of treatments which did not make any sense to me, even before I knew ANYTHING AT ALL about
back pain.
I understood that DDD meant that my discs were losing height and thinning out. I understood that this might cause bone on bone contact between the vertebrae. I did not understand how any of my treatments were going to do anything to stop this process or reverse it. Now I realize that none of my pain was ever caused by DDD. Treatments were ineffective because they were not directed at the proper cause of my pain. Even if the pain was caused by DDD, I would still be suffering today, since symptomatic treatment will NEVER CURE THE CONDITION. Make sure that you understand what your therapies are designed to do. Also, consider the fact that DDD is most likely not the cause of any of your pain. Learn the facts and make an informed choice. If you do not, then you have no one to blame for your continuing pain but yourself. Feel free to
write to me
with any questions you might have about Degenerative Disc Disease.
Degenerative Disc Disease Therapy to Back Pain Home
8/13/07 Revised 10/15/09
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