Physical Therapy For Degenerative Disc Disease

Are you or a loved one living with degenerative disc disease?

If so, you might feel overwhelmed.

The good news is that our understanding of degenerative disc disease is evolving.

While we still have much to learn about this disease, you can take comfort in the knowledge that like many other orthopedic conditions, such as osteoarthritis or muscle strains, degenerative disc disease is a manageable condition.

A physical therapist for spinal issues can help you manage your symptoms and live a fulfilled life.

In this article, we explain more about degenerative disc disease and how a physical therapist can help those dealing with any of these spinal conditions find treatment solutions.

What Is Degenerative Disc Disease?

Most people will experience some form of lower back pain, upper back pain, or neck pain at some point in our lives.

Degenerative disc disease is one potential cause.

Degenerative disc disease occurs when the discs between your spine’s vertebrae begin to wear down.

This may occur for a variety of reasons.

However, injury and advanced age are two of the most common culprits.

A healthy spine has thirty three stacked bones, called vertebrae, which support it.

Fluid filled cartilage sacks called “intervertebral discs” fill the spaces between these discs.

Younger populations have plenty of gelatin within their cartilage.

Over time, this gelatin decreases, and your intervertebral discs begin to flatten and lose their flexibility.

Ultimately, this results in less space between your discs, shortening the distance between your bones, and sometimes causing the bones to press on the nerves.

Sometimes, repeated contact between your vertebrae may lead to bony build ups known as bone spurs that form and stiffen your spine.

Usually, this process doesn’t cause any pain or discomfort but may significantly restrict your movements and range of motion.

However, some people experience varying degrees of pain and inflammation as their vertebrae rubs against each other, and they lose disc height.

RELATED: Natural Pain Management Solutions From Physical Therapy

You may feel this in just one area of your spine, or in several.

Degenerative Disc Disease Symptoms

As previously mentioned, degenerative disc disease doesn’t always cause specific symptoms.

In other cases, some people experience chronic pain because of their degenerative disc disease.

RELATED: Frequently Asked Questions About Chronic Pain

Thus, the most common symptom of degenerative disc disease is mild to intense neck and back pain.

If your degenerative disc is in your neck, you might also experience pain in your shoulders, arms, or neck.

If your degenerative disc is in your lower back, you might experience pain in your back, legs, and buttocks.

RELATED: Dry Needling For Sciatica Pain

Certain activities may worsen this pain, such as sitting, bending, or reaching for something.

This pain might feel worse first thing in the morning or after periods of prolonged sitting.

In severe cases, degenerative disc disease causes nerve pressure that may lead to numbness, tingling, and weakness in your arms and legs.

How Does Pain From Degenerative Disc Disease Feel Like?

Degenerative disc disease pain can feel different from person to person.

For some, the condition causes little to no pain at all.

For others, the pain significantly affects their everyday lives.

Degenerative disc disease pain includes pain that:

• Primarily affects the lower back
• Extends to legs and buttocks
• Extends from neck to arms
• Worsens after twisting or bending
• Worsens after sitting
• Comes and goes within the span of a few days to several months

A physical therapist can help manage this pain and prevent future flare ups.

How Does Someone Get Degenerative Disc Disease?

The wear and tear of your intervertebral discs plays a major role in the development of degenerative disc disease.

This often occurs as a natural part of aging.

RELATED: Physical Therapy For Seniors Health

According to a 2007 study by Zhao et al., aging causes many changes in your intervertebral disc cells.

For instance, your intervertebral discs naturally begin to dry out and lose support and function as you age.

This process can begin in your early 30s and 40s and progressively worsen.

In other cases, an injury or spinal overuse may cause degenerative disc disease.

Once damaged, your intervertebral discs can’t repair themselves, but your body can adapt in multiple ways.

Risks factors for developing degenerative disc disease includes:

• Smoking
• Being overweight
• Continuous heavy physical work
• Lack of exercise
• Accidents, such as trips and falls or car accidents

RELATED: Physical Therapy Injury Consultations

Some research suggests that degenerative disc disease might represent more of a symptom of aging in general rather than a specific diagnosis.

For instance, a 2015 study by Brinjikji et al. found that many seniors without a degenerative disc disease diagnosis experience disc degeneration.

Is Degenerative Disc Disease The Same As Arthritis?

Degenerative disc disease and arthritis of the spine affect different tissues and are thus not the same.

Left untreated, however, degenerative disc disease can cause osteoarthritis of the spine.

Why Is Degenerative Disc Disease Being Phased Out?

Like we previously mentioned, modern research is beginning to suggest that a degenerative disc disease diagnosis isn’t as useful as we once thought.

A recent study sought to explore this idea.

The researchers gave MRIs and spinal X-rays to people with and without back pain.

They found that most people, regardless of whether they were having pain or not, showed some evidence of degenerative disc disease.

The authors argued that positioning during the scans might’ve influenced these findings.

But posture, movement patterns, form with exercise, ergonomics, and imbalances or asymmetries may play more of a role in chronic back pain.

RELATED: Why Is It Important To Warm Up Before Exercise?

Fortunately, physical therapy can provide solutions for all these concerns.

How Can Physical Therapy For Degenerative Disc Disease Help?

Physical therapy is an excellent choice for symptom management of degenerative disc disease.

Your physical therapist is killed at helping you manage symptoms in order to participate in everyday activities and responsibilities.

Your physical therapist might use a variety of techniques to help your symptoms, including:

1. Heat And Cold Therapy

Heat and cold therapy is a physical therapy technique that can help manage symptoms of degenerative disc disease.

Heat therapy, or thermotherapy, works by applying heat to affected areas in order to promote blood vessel dilation, blood flow, and help relax tight muscles.

In contrast, cold therapy, or cryotherapy, works by applying ice or cooling devices to affected areas in order to reduce blood flow and inflammation.

Both heat and cold therapy can help combat the pain associated with degenerative disc disease.

Speak to a physical therapist to find out which method might work best for you.

2. Exercises To Build And Maintain Flexibility

Your physical therapist can teach you specific exercises aimed at improving movement in your joints, as well as the muscles in your spine, arms, and legs.

Improving joint movement is a key component of chronic pain physical therapy.

Therefore, exercises that help build and maintain flexibility are an important factor in symptom management.

3. Exercises To Build And Maintain Strength

Exercises that build and maintain strength are also important for symptom management of degenerative disc disease.

Strong trunk muscles are important for support of your spinal joints.

4. Dry Needling

Dry needling is a physical therapy technique that involves inserting fine needles into trigger points to relieve pain and inflammation.

Unlike intravenous or intramuscular injections, the needles don’t inject any substances into your body.

That’s why it’s called “dry” needling.

Dry needling can help alleviate muscle tightness which can help reduce compression at the spine and discs and help to restore better movement.

RELATED: Physical Therapy With Dry Needling

5. Posture Improvement

Finally, your physical therapist can help you improve your posture to help manage your pain.

Making small modifications in how you sit, stand, bend, lift, and even sleep is an excellent method of pain relief.

Your physical therapist will show you how you can improve your posture, so you can practice it on your own as well.

Book Your Appointment With Our Physical Therapy Clinic Today

Many people feel overwhelmed when dealing with degenerative disc disease.

At Capitol Physical Therapy, we can help answer all your questions and create a treatment plan designed for your unique challenges and needs.

Don’t hesitate to consult with one of our experienced physical therapists to find out how we can help you.

Book your appointment with Capitol Physical Therapy to start managing your pain today.