Understanding Degenerative Disc Disease

Your back is a critical part of how you go about your daily life. You need it to support your body and help it move to accomplish tasks. It can be debilitating when your back is in pain. Degenerative disc disease is a condition that affects nearly 40% of adults in their lifetime, and this number increases with age. Degenerative disc disease can be painful, but there are ways to treat it and help restore your quality of life. At Summit Health Pain Clinic, we can provide you with treatment options that suit your situation and control the pain from degenerative disc disease.

Here are a few causes of degenerative disc disease and how we can help.

Injuries

If you’ve suffered a fall from height, keeping a watchful eye on your spinal health is essential. Degenerative Disc Disease can occur after you’ve experienced an injury related to a fall from height because the impact from hitting the ground can cause your discs to slip, bulge or rupture. Over time, the damage from the injury can accelerate the breaking down of your spinal discs, causing symptoms of degenerative disc disease.

Performing Physical Work

If you work a physically demanding job, it can affect your long-term spinal health. Physically taxing jobs typically require repetitive bending, twisting, or stooping motions. Performing these movements can wreak havoc on your back and eventually wear down your spinal discs, resulting in degenerative disc disease.

Obesity

Another cause related to degenerative disc disease is being obese. Carrying excess weight puts additional pressure on your body and can affect your joints, heart, and spine. The extra strain on your spine may speed up the process of your spinal discs breaking down and cause the onset of degenerative disc disease. Getting weight to manageable levels can help relieve some of the pressure on your spine and other joints, helping to restore your quality of life.

Treating Degenerative Disc Disease

Here at Summit Health Pain Clinic, we have innovative treatment options to help deal with degenerative disc disease and get you back to enjoying your favorite activities. The best treatment method for you depends on the cause of your condition, symptoms, and professional recommendation.

To schedule a consultation with one of our experts, please contact our Show Low office by calling us at 855-768-4968.