What exactly is "spinal degeneration". How is it treated other than pa!
Question: Is there any way to stop it from progressing further?
Answers: Is there any way to stop it from progressing further?
This condition involves a slow degeneration of the cartilage that protects your joints where bone meets bone. Synovial fluid which helps to lubricate the joint like oil on a wheel reduces its production. Aging, injury or trauma, poor posture and infection can cause joints to wear down and become stiff and painful. Bone deformities called "bone spurs" occur in conjunction with decreased disc height and reduced joint motion.
Cartilage building supplements can be of some help to slow it down, but it can not usually be reversed. Also supplements that help to lubricate within the body can be helpful as well, as when the dryness is there, it hurts twice as much and becomes more inflamed.
I get cervical and lumbar epidurals which is when they put an anti inflammatory medication directly in the areas that suffer the most. For me it is helpful for approx. 6-8 mnths., it beats taking pain medication all the time.
that would depend on the cause. if it's infectious, then it can be treated. if it's autoimmune, yes it can, but it's harder.
it's spinal necrosis. degeneration as you said it
I would say go to a GOOD spine doc and see what he says, i am not sure..............i do have scoliosis (lumber was fused) and i do have stenosis (narrowing of the spine) but they really cannot do anything more for me so i see a pain management doc once a month and go to physical therapy! GOOD LUCK!!!
In short; I have it, no it always progresses, here's the info from Wiki;
Symptoms
With symptomatic degenerative disc disease, chronic low back pain sometimes radiates to the hips, or there is an aching pain in the buttocks or thighs while walking; sporadic tingling or weakness through the knees may also be evident. Similar pain may be felt or may increase while sitting, bending, lifting, and twisting.
[edit] Understanding disc pain
After an injury, some discs become painful because of inflammation. Some people have nerve endings that penetrate more deeply into the annulus fibrosus, or outer layer of the disc, than others, making the disc more susceptible to becoming a source of pain. The scientific community have the opinion that the healing process involved in the repair of trauma to the outer annulous results in the innervation of the resultant scar tissue, and subsequent pain in the disc, as these nerves become inflamed by nucleous pulposus material. Degenerative disc disease can lead to a chronic debilitating condition and can have a serious negative impact on a person's quality of life. When pain from degenerative disc disease is severe, traditional nonoperative treatment is often ineffective.
[edit] Treatment options
Often, degenerative disc disease can be successfully treated without surgery. One or a combination of treatments such as Physical therapy, osteopathic manipulation, anti-inflammatory medications such as nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, chiropractic treatments, or spinal injections often provide adequate relief of these troubling symptoms.
Surgery may be recommended if the conservative treatment options do not provide relief within 2 to 3 months. If leg or back pain limits normal activity, if there is weakness or numbness in the legs, if it is difficult to walk or stand, or if medication or physical therapy are ineffective, surgery may be necessary, most often spinal fusion. There are many surgical options for the treatment of degenerative disc disease. The most common surgical treatmets include:[1]
Anterior Cervical Discectomy and Fusion: A procedure that reaches the cervical spine (neck) through a small incision in the front of the neck. The intervertebral disc is removed and replaced with a small plug of bone or other graft substitute, and in time, that will fuse the vertebrae.
Cervical Corpectomy: A procedure that removes a portion of the vertebra and adjacent intervertebral discs to allow for decompression of the cervical spinal cord and spinal nerves. A bone graft, and in some cases a metal plate and screws, is used to stabilize the spine.
Facetectomy: A procedure that removes a part of the facet (a bony structure in the spinal canal) to increase the space.
Foraminotomy: A procedure that enlarges the foramen (the area where the nerve roots exit the spinal canal) to increase the size of the nerve pathway. This surgery can be done alone or with a laminotomy.
Laminoplasty: A procedure that reaches the cervical spine (neck) from the back of the neck. The spinal canal is then reconstructed to make more room for the spinal cord.
Laminotomy: A procedure that removes only a small portion of the lamina (a part of the vertebra) to relieve pressure on the nerve roots.
Micro-discectomy: A procedure that removes a disc through a very small incision using a microscope.
Spinal Laminectomy: A procedure for treating spinal stenosis by relieving pressure on the spinal cord. A part of the lamina (a part of the vertebra) is removed or trimmed to widen the spinal canal and create more space for the spinal nerves.
New treatments are emerging that are still in the beginning clinical trial phases. Glucosamine injections are thought to offer some pain relief for degenerative discs at best, and at worst, do nothing while also not affecting more aggressive treatment options. Artificial disc replacement is viewed cautiously as a possible alternative to fusion in carefully selected patients. Adult stem cell therapies for disc regeneration are in their infancy. [1] . Mesechymal stem cell therapy trials for knife-less fusion of vertebrae are now beginning in the US as well [2]. Gene therapy, growth factor injections, and a variety of stabilization devices are also on the horizon.
[edit] References
^ Degenerative Disc Disease - When Surgery Is Needed. Retrieved on 2007-06-26.
[hide]v ? d ? eDiseases of the musculoskeletal system and connective tissue (M, 710-739)
Arthropathies Arthritis (Septic arthritis, Reactive arthritis, Rheumatoid arthritis, Psoriatic arthritis, Felty's syndrome, Juvenile idiopathic arthritis, Still's disease) - crystal (Gout, Chondrocalcinosis) - Osteoarthritis (Heberden's node, Bouchard's nodes)
acquired deformities of fingers and toes (Boutonniere deformity, Bunion, Hallux rigidus, Hallux varus, Hammer toe) - other acquired deformities of limbs (Valgus deformity, Varus deformity, Wrist drop, Foot drop, Flat feet, Club foot, Unequal leg length, Winged scapula)
patella (Luxating patella, Chondromalacia patellae)
Protrusio acetabuli - Hemarthrosis - Arthralgia - Osteophyte
Systemic connective
tissue disorders Polyarteritis nodosa - Churg-Strauss syndrome - Kawasaki disease - Hypersensitivity vasculitis - Goodpasture's syndrome - Wegener's granulomatosis - Arteritis (Takayasu's arteritis, Temporal arteritis) - Microscopic polyangiitis - Systemic lupus erythematosus (Drug-induced) - Dermatomyositis (Juvenile dermatomyositis) - Polymyositis - Scleroderma - Sj?gren's syndrome - Beh?et's disease - Polymyalgia rheumatica - Eosinophilic fasciitis - Hypermobility
Dorsopathies Kyphosis - Lordosis - Scoliosis - Scheuermann's disease - Spondylolysis - Torticollis - Spondylolisthesis - Spondylopathies (Ankylosing spondylitis, Spondylosis, Spinal stenosis) - Schmorl's nodes - Degenerative disc disease - Coccydynia - Back pain (Radiculopathy, Neck pain, Sciatica, Low back pain)
Soft tissue disorders muscle: Myositis - Myositis ossificans (Fibrodysplasia ossificans progressiva)
synovium and tendon: Synovitis/Tenosynovitis (Calcific tendinitis, Stenosing tenosynovitis, Trigger finger, DeQuervain's syndrome) - Irritable hip - Ganglion cyst
bursa: bursitis (Olecranon, Prepatellar, Trochanteric) - Baker's cyst
fibroblastic disorders (Dupuytren's contracture, Plantar fasciitis, Nodular fasciitis, Necrotizing fasciitis, Fasciitis, Fibromatosis)
shoulder lesions: Adhesive capsulitis - Rotator cuff tear - Subacromial bursitis
enthesis: enthesopathies (Iliotibial band syndrome, Achilles tendinitis, Patellar tendinitis, Golfer's elbow, Tennis elbow, Metatarsalgia, Bone spur, Tendinitis)
other, NEC: Muscle weakness - Rheumatism - Myalgia - Neuralgia - Neuritis - Panniculitis - Fibromyalgia
Osteopathies disorders of bone density and structure: Osteoporosis - Osteomalacia - continuity of bone (Pseudarthrosis, Stress fracture) - Monostotic fibrous dysplasia - Skeletal fluorosis - Aneurysmal bone cyst - Hyperostosis - Osteosclerosis
Osteomyelitis - Avascular necrosis - Paget's disease of bone - Algoneurodystrophy - Osteolysis - Infantile cortical hyperostosis
Chondropathies Juvenile osteochondrosis (Legg-Calv