Advances in the Diagnosis and Treatment of Cervical or Lumbar Spine Degenerative Disease

Inside Orthopedics Today with focus on reconstruction & regenerative medicine in sports

Degenerative Disc Disease (DDD) is one of the most common orthopedic conditions in adults over the age of 50. Most of the time, it is caused by trauma to the spine resulting in a compression of nerves in the neck (cervical) or lower lumbar spine. This week on Inside Orthopedics Today Dr Jon Hauers discusses the latest trends and techniques for treatment of DDD. For many patients compression of nerve bundles can be due to a herniated disc spondylitis, spinal arthritis or acute injury to spinal nerve itself. It can also be caused by age, obesity, poor posture or other non-neuropathic factors. Unfortunately, traditional treatments are surgeries are not very effective for some types of DDD.

The treatment for degenerative disc disease usually begins with non-invasive techniques which can offer enough symptom relief. Non-invasive techniques of pain management can include manual manipulation, anti-inflammatories, steroid injections, electric stimulation, physical therapy and back braces. When medication does not work or is causing too much pain, then patients are treated by surgically removing the degenerative discs. If the bulges or herniations are large or severe, the surgeon may perform a cauterization procedure to stop the bleeding or use ultrasound to cauterize the area. After the procedure, most patients will experience severe pain in their legs, knees or feet, numbness in the arms and hands, weakness in the legs and toes or difficulty walking. If the bulges or herniations are in the cervical spine, the neck could become unstable and movement might become impossible.

Prevalence of spine degeneration diagnosis by type, age, gender, and obesity

Cervical spine surgery ( spinal decompression) can also help avoid injuries to the shoulder joints due to poor posture. The procedure involves putting spinal decompression bracelets on the affected areas and gradually stretching them out until the patient experiences a full range of motion in the affected region.

Degenerative disc diseases have been associated with a number of health risks, including pain, disability and even death. The symptoms normally develop slowly over time and the person may not notice any pain until it becomes painfully obvious. Some cases can also result in disc protrusion or herniated discs. Spinal decompression helps prevent the bulges and herniations from happening, but it does not reverse the problem. Therefore, it plays an important role in treating degenerative disc disease and preventing further damage.

Links from the show notes:

1. https://spine.keckmedicine.org/treatments-services/low-back-ddd/
2. https://stemcellthailand.org/therapies/degenerative-disc-disease-ddd/
3. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/32098249/
4. https://www.verywellhealth.com/lumbar-disc-replacement-2548506