Degenerative Disc Disease: It's Progressive

Healthy discs are so strong that the bone will break before a disc will tear. A healthy disc requires motion between the vertebrae to draw the vital fluids into the disc to keep it nourished. Our spines consist of three major regions–cervical, thoracic and lumbar. Cushion-like discs lay in between each of the vertebrae; these discs allow the spine to bend and flex and to absorb stress on the spine.

           

Damage to the spine and soft tissue may cause discs to bulge, to narrow and to rupture allowing fluid to drain out. Any one of these conditions may cause impingement on nerves that run through the spinal column resulting in pain that ranges from mild to severe. As discs dry out or degenerate, they become brittle and can easily tear. In addition to back pain, disc degeneration causes symptoms that you may have experienced, such as numbness or tingling that radiates down the legs to the feet or down the arms to the hands.