A disease robs our joy and heightens tension to close friends and family. It becomes more daunting when the disease is rare and not well known by people. Degenerative disc disease is an infection that attacks your spine. The disease occurs when normal changes that take place in the spine causes pain.

Generally, spinal disks can be viewed as shock absorbers in the spine of vertebrae. They help the back of vertebrates remain flexible in a way that they can twist and bend comfortably. Normally the spinal disks wear and tear as one gets old. They become less flexible and one cannot bend or twist comfortably like before. The breakdown of these spinal disks causes pain in your back.

What brings about this disease?

The spinal disks of a vertebrae consist of a soft inner core and a sturdy outer core. One of the major causes of this disease is drying out. when one is young and tender, the disks have a lot of water. As one grows older, they get thinner and dry. Loss of water means that there will be less padding in the spine of vertebrae.

The second cause is injuries and stressing of the spine as a result of everyday movements. Since the spinal disks are always in use, the tear over time especially near the nerves which results in pain. Tear and wear may force disks to slip out of place a condition known as a herniated disk.

Symptoms of degenerative disc disease

This disease always brings about sharp or constant pain in your spine or neck. The pain differs from one person to another depending on where the weary disk is located. The common symptoms are pain on your:

Upper thighs, buttocks or even on your lower back
Pain that is not consistent. The pain comes and vanishes over time. It may last for days or even months
The pain gets worse when your lift or bend to pick something
The pain is more severe when seated and calms when you start to move
The pain ceases when you lie down or change positions

Are there back treatment options?

Chiropractic care is one of the popular successful remedies for degenerative disc disease. The genesis of this back pain treatment is to identify whether you are suffering from a disc-related problem.

The chiropractor examines your back by identifying whether:

Your spinal joints are stressing the functions of your spine.
The pain is being caused by spinal stenosis which results in leg and back pain.
The pain is a result of thinning of degenerative discs which cause bulging and puts pressure on spinal nerves.

How a chiropractor goes about it

The chiropractor starts by reviewing your medical history. He then discusses the symptoms with you to identify the potential causes of the disease. He blends both a neurological and physical exam to pinpoint the joint motion which might be have been restricted. All these examinations are geared towards understanding your body mechanics and come up with a tailor made back pain treatment.

Conclusion

The primary symptom of degenerative disc disease is back pain. However, pain in your back and neck might not necessarily mean you have the disease. If you are experiencing back pain, the best thing is to visit a physician who will examine you to identify the source of the pain.