Answer: Unfortunately, there’s currently no cure for degenerative disc disease, and once you’re diagnosed with DDD, it’s typically a lifelong journey of learning to live with back pain, neck pain, or other symptoms. Once your discs begin to degenerate, you can’t really reverse the process.
Considering this, can you become paralyzed from degenerative disc disease?
That said, if degenerative disc disease contributes to a disc herniation, especially one that occurs from trauma, paralysis is possible. Warning signs for possible paralysis are sudden loss of bowel or bladder function or rapid onset or worsening back pain, weakness, or numbness.
Simply so, how bad can degenerative disc disease get?
In some cases, degenerative disk disease can lead to numbness and tingling in your arms and legs. It can also cause your leg muscles to become weak. This means the damaged disks may be affecting the nerves near your spine.
How do you fix a degenerative disc in your neck?
Treatment for DDD of the neck is primarily conservative. The majority of patients with significant pain generally improve with time with non-surgical treatments such as oral medications and/or physical therapy. A short period of immobilization with a soft neck brace (cervical collar) may also be helpful.
How fast does cervical degenerative disc disease progress?
The degenerative process of the spinal disc may start gradually or suddenly, but progresses over 2 to 3 decades from severe and at times even disabling bouts of pain to a state in which the spine is restabilized and the pain is diminished.
How should you sleep when you have degenerative disc disease?
Degenerative disc disease
Sleeping on the stomach is typically preferred, as this position can relieve pressure on the disc space. People with degenerative disc disease may feel most comfortable using a relatively firm mattress while placing a flat pillow under the stomach and hips.
Is degenerative disc disease a serious condition?
Nearly everyone’s spinal discs show signs of wear as they age. Not everyone, however, will have degenerative disc disease. Not actually a disease, this is a condition in which a damaged disc causes pain. A wide range of symptoms and severity is associated with this condition.
What are symptoms of disc problems in neck?
If your herniated disk is in your neck, you’ll typically feel the most pain in your shoulder and arm. This pain might shoot into your arm or leg when you cough, sneeze or move into certain positions. Pain is often described as sharp or burning. Numbness or tingling.
What are the stages of degenerative disc disease?
What are the 4 Stages of Degenerative Disc Disease?
- Stage 1. The first stage of degenerative disc disease may go unnoticed by the individual but can be identified by a chiropractor or other medical professional. …
- Stage 2. …
- Stage 3. …
- Stage 4. …
- Chiropractic Adjustments. …
- Spinal Decompression.
What does degenerative disc in neck feel like?
The most common and obvious symptoms of cervical degenerative disc disease are neck pain and a stiff neck. When one of these conditions presses on one or more of the many nerves running through the spinal cord, you also can develop pain, numbness, or weakness radiating down your shoulder, arm, and hand.
What happens if a disc ruptures in your neck?
A ruptured cervical disk may cause pain, numbness, tingling, or even weakness in one of your arms. Your ability to fully move your neck may also be affected. Sometimes a herniated cervical disk may cause no symptoms at all.
What happens if degenerative disc disease is left untreated?
Without appropriate treatment, degenerative disc disease can cause lasting, debilitating back pain. The pain may become so severe that you find it difficult to carry out your normal daily activities. It can interfere with your mobility and your overall quality of life.
What is the best thing to do for degenerative disc disease?
Treatment may include occupational therapy, physical therapy, or both, special exercises, medications, losing weight, and surgery. Medical options include injecting the joints next to the damaged disc with steroids and a local anesthetic. These are called facet joint injections. They can provide effective pain relief.
What is the long term prognosis for degenerative disc disease?
Outlook / Prognosis
Many people use nonsurgical and at-home treatments to manage pain long-term. If you have mild to moderate back pain, you will need to continue treatment to keep the pain at bay. Most people who have surgery for degenerative disc disease experience long-term pain relief.