Degenerative Disc Disease � Causes & Treatments
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Patrick Foote
Jun 3, 2013, 1:00:06 PM6/3/13
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Please consider this free-reprint article written by:
Patrick Foote
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Article Title: Degenerative Disc Disease � Causes & Treatments
Author: Patrick Foote
Word Count: 551
Article URL: http://www.isnare.com/?aid=1844163&ca=Medicines+and+Remedies
Format: 64cpl
Contact The Author: http://www.isnare.com/eta.php?aid=1844163
Easy Publish Tool: http://www.isnare.com/html.php?aid=1844163
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Degenerative disc disease causes patients to experience a number of symptoms, including localized pain as well as radiating numbness, tingling, and muscle weakness in the extremities. If you�ve been diagnosed with the condition, then you�re probably all too familiar with these symptoms. But what is degenerative disc disease and what causes it? How is the condition treated? The answers to these questions can be found below.
What is Degenerative Disc Disease & What Causes It?
Simply stated, degenerative disc disease involves the gradual break down of the intervertebral discs, which are the spine�s �shock absorbers.� Discs are positioned between adjacent, articulating vertebrae, and are tasked with lessening the load that is placed on the vertebrae when the spine supports weight and facilitates movement. These tasks can take their toll over time, and around middle age the discs can begin to break down. More specifically, the discs� outer shells (annuli fibrosi) can weaken, and their gelatinous centers (nuclei pulposi) can become dehydrated. This makes the discs prone to bulging (when a nucleus pulposus shifts out of place but remains contained within a weakened annulus fibrosus) and herniating (when the nucleus pulposus seeps through a tear in the annulus fibrosus). Both of these conditions can lead to neural compression, which is at the root of the symptoms that degenerative disc disease causes.
How is Degenerative Disc Disease Treated?
Treatment for degenerative disc disease focuses on relieving the pressure that has been placed on an affected neural structure (a spinal nerve, nerve root, or even the spinal cord itself). Initially, this is attempted through the use of conservative, nonsurgical treatments, including:
- Medication, such as over-the-counter, nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) like ibuprofen or naproxen; over-the-counter analgesics like acetaminophen; muscle relaxants; narcotic pain relievers (typically reserved for patients who are in severe pain)
- Physical therapy, including strengthening and stretching exercises; transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation (TENS); ultrasound therapy; massage therapy
- Lifestyle modifications, which can include losing weight; becoming more physically active; ceasing the use of tobacco products; reducing alcohol consumption
- CAM (complementary and alternative medicine) therapies, such as acupuncture; acupressure; chiropractic manipulation; hypnotism; aroma therapy
Conservative treatments can usually relieve patients from the symptoms that degenerative disc disease causes within a matter of weeks or months. However, a small percentage of patients may not benefit from conservative treatments and may be advised to undergo an operation.
Surgery for degenerative disc disease can require a very large incision and the dissection of musculature and other soft tissues. An affected disc is often removed in its entirety, and replaced with an intervertebral cage filled with bone grafting material. The cage is then affixed to the surrounding vertebrae with surgical hardware. Over time, the bone graft material will fuse the cage and the two vertebrae together, leaving that spinal segment with little to no mobility.
Some patients may be candidates for minimally invasive procedures as an alternative to the type of operation explained above. These procedures are performed on an outpatient basis, through an incision that is typically less than one inch long. To learn more about these procedures and to find out if you�re a candidate, consult with your physician.
About The Author: Patrick Foote is the Director of eBusiness at Laser Spine Institute, the leader in endoscopic spine surgery. Laser Spine Institute treats the symptoms that degenerative disc disease causes. http://www.laserspineinstitute.com/back_problems/degenerative_disc_disease/causes/
Please use the HTML version of this article at:
http://www.isnare.com/html.php?aid=1844163
*********************** ARTICLE END ***********************
- To distribute your articles go to http://www.isnare.com/distribution.php
- For more free-reprint articles go to http://www.isnare.com
Message delivered directly to members of the group:
publish-the...@googlegroups.com
*****************************************************************
Please consider this free-reprint article written by:
Patrick Foote
*****************************
IMPORTANT - Publication/Reprint Terms
- You have permission to publish this article electronically in free-only publications such as a website or an ezine as long as the bylines are included.
- You are not allowed to use this article for commercial purposes. The article should only be reprinted in a publicly accessible website and not in a members-only commercial site.
- You are not allowed to post/reprint this article in any sites/publications that contains or supports hate, violence, porn and warez or any indecent and illegal sites/publications.
- You are not allowed to use this article in UCE (Unsolicited Commercial Email) or SPAM. This article MUST be distributed in an opt-in email list only.
- If you distribute this article in an ezine or newsletter, we ask that you send a copy of the newsletter or ezine that contains the article to http://www.isnare.com/eta.php?aid=1844163
- If you post this article in a website/forum/blog, ALL links MUST be set to hyperlinks and we ask that you send a copy of the URL where the article is posted to http://www.isnare.com/eta.php?aid=1844163
- We request that you ask permission from the author if you want to publish this article in print.
The role of iSnare.com is only to distribute this article as part of its Article Distribution feature ( http://www.isnare.com/distribution.php ). iSnare.com does NOT own this article, please respect the author's copyright and this publication/reprint terms. If you do not agree to any of these terms, please do not reprint or publish this article.
*****************************
Article Title: Degenerative Disc Disease � Causes & Treatments
Author: Patrick Foote
Word Count: 551
Article URL: http://www.isnare.com/?aid=1844163&ca=Medicines+and+Remedies
Format: 64cpl
Contact The Author: http://www.isnare.com/eta.php?aid=1844163
Easy Publish Tool: http://www.isnare.com/html.php?aid=1844163
*********************** ARTICLE START ***********************
Degenerative disc disease causes patients to experience a number of symptoms, including localized pain as well as radiating numbness, tingling, and muscle weakness in the extremities. If you�ve been diagnosed with the condition, then you�re probably all too familiar with these symptoms. But what is degenerative disc disease and what causes it? How is the condition treated? The answers to these questions can be found below.
What is Degenerative Disc Disease & What Causes It?
Simply stated, degenerative disc disease involves the gradual break down of the intervertebral discs, which are the spine�s �shock absorbers.� Discs are positioned between adjacent, articulating vertebrae, and are tasked with lessening the load that is placed on the vertebrae when the spine supports weight and facilitates movement. These tasks can take their toll over time, and around middle age the discs can begin to break down. More specifically, the discs� outer shells (annuli fibrosi) can weaken, and their gelatinous centers (nuclei pulposi) can become dehydrated. This makes the discs prone to bulging (when a nucleus pulposus shifts out of place but remains contained within a weakened annulus fibrosus) and herniating (when the nucleus pulposus seeps through a tear in the annulus fibrosus). Both of these conditions can lead to neural compression, which is at the root of the symptoms that degenerative disc disease causes.
How is Degenerative Disc Disease Treated?
Treatment for degenerative disc disease focuses on relieving the pressure that has been placed on an affected neural structure (a spinal nerve, nerve root, or even the spinal cord itself). Initially, this is attempted through the use of conservative, nonsurgical treatments, including:
- Medication, such as over-the-counter, nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) like ibuprofen or naproxen; over-the-counter analgesics like acetaminophen; muscle relaxants; narcotic pain relievers (typically reserved for patients who are in severe pain)
- Physical therapy, including strengthening and stretching exercises; transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation (TENS); ultrasound therapy; massage therapy
- Lifestyle modifications, which can include losing weight; becoming more physically active; ceasing the use of tobacco products; reducing alcohol consumption
- CAM (complementary and alternative medicine) therapies, such as acupuncture; acupressure; chiropractic manipulation; hypnotism; aroma therapy
Conservative treatments can usually relieve patients from the symptoms that degenerative disc disease causes within a matter of weeks or months. However, a small percentage of patients may not benefit from conservative treatments and may be advised to undergo an operation.
Surgery for degenerative disc disease can require a very large incision and the dissection of musculature and other soft tissues. An affected disc is often removed in its entirety, and replaced with an intervertebral cage filled with bone grafting material. The cage is then affixed to the surrounding vertebrae with surgical hardware. Over time, the bone graft material will fuse the cage and the two vertebrae together, leaving that spinal segment with little to no mobility.
Some patients may be candidates for minimally invasive procedures as an alternative to the type of operation explained above. These procedures are performed on an outpatient basis, through an incision that is typically less than one inch long. To learn more about these procedures and to find out if you�re a candidate, consult with your physician.
About The Author: Patrick Foote is the Director of eBusiness at Laser Spine Institute, the leader in endoscopic spine surgery. Laser Spine Institute treats the symptoms that degenerative disc disease causes. http://www.laserspineinstitute.com/back_problems/degenerative_disc_disease/causes/
Please use the HTML version of this article at:
http://www.isnare.com/html.php?aid=1844163
*********************** ARTICLE END ***********************
- To distribute your articles go to http://www.isnare.com/distribution.php
- For more free-reprint articles go to http://www.isnare.com
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