People in the Frisco area may suffer from any number of different lower back issues. It is not out of the ordinary for this to occur and nationwide, it is thought that up to 80% of the population is going to suffer from lower back pain at some time in their life. It can occur as a result of many different issues, including injury, overuse and muscle strain. At times, people who suffer from this type of spine pain may also have a very specific issue, including degenerative disc disease.

Frisco degenerative disk disease

Degenerative disc disease is a fairly common reason why people suffer from pain in their lower back. It can also lead to other cases of spinal pain, including pain in the neck. Although it is relatively common, it is also a problem that is very easily misunderstood. In fact, most people have no idea what degenerative disc disease is and if they suffer from it, they may be suffering needlessly.

Degenerative disc disease is a description of the different symptoms that you may be experiencing as a result of the problem. Some of those different symptoms include pain, radiating numbness and weakness that may go out into the extremities. The definition may be somewhat simplistic, but for many people who are diagnosed with this problem in the Frisco area, it leaves them wondering what exactly they have.

The first thing that you should understand is that degenerative disc disease is not some type of progressive disease that threatens the health of your spine. As a matter of fact, it is not a disease at all! On top of that, the issue is not necessarily a degenerative one. For the vast majority of people who have this condition, degenerative simply implies that as the person gets older, their symptoms are likely to increase. It does not apply to each of the symptoms they may be experiencing, just in the fact that the disc is degenerating over the course of time.

For some people, degenerative disc disease is not a problem that gets worse over time and in fact, some people may even experience some improvement in their condition if enough time is allowed to lapse.

Another reason why people are often confused by the term degenerative disc disease is because the condition is not a disease. It is a degenerative condition, however, that may produce pain as a result of the damaged disc. This damage typically occurs as a result of the aging process, not because of a disease that is attacking the disc. Most people experience some form of disc degeneration over the course of their lifetime but not everybody is going to develop the symptoms as a result of it.

Conditions associated with Degenerative Disk Disease

back pain friscoOne of the problems that may be associated with degenerative disc disease is the fact that it can speed the onset of certain spinal conditions. Below is a list of a few of those conditions that may be associated with this disorder.

Spinal osteoarthritis - As the problem progresses, it may cause changes in the facet joints and lead to osteoarthritis.

Spinal stenosis - Another type of spinal degeneration, this issue can lead to pain, weakness, numbness and other issues. It results when the spinal cord is pinched as a result of narrowing in the spinal canal.

Spondylolisthesis - This issue may occur if the facet joints continue to degenerate. At that point, they are not able to move properly and one of the vertebrae may slip forward on another vertebra, leading to a number of issues.

Another problem that can occur as a result of degenerative disc disease is inflammation. This is a common problem in the human body and although inflammation is a natural function, too much inflammation can lead to pain and other issues. If the inflammation exists in the cervical disc space, you may experience neck pain that radiates out of the shoulders, arm and perhaps even as far as the hand. If the inflammation exists in the lumbar disc space, the lower back pain can also radiate into the hips and down the back of the legs. This is an issue that is commonly referred to as sciatica.

Regardless of the reason why you're experiencing spine pain, there is a solution that may be able to help. The professionals at The Neuro & Spine Wellness Center are there to assist you and to ensure that you get the proper diagnosis and are provided with the treatment that will work for you.