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I am 50 and have DDD for several years. Phase II currently. As I have been dealing with this for years, and the pain and discomfort associated with it, I disagree with your comment that it does not cause pain. I was in a high impact car accident in 1988 which I believe started it all. 10 years later I was seeing several doctors for the pain in my right shoulder, the kink always in my neck, the every day headaches. Now it's the feeling that my rib cage is being crushed from behind, and throbbing in the middle of my back. I have thoracic DDD, which reports say is not common, in addition to c5,c6, c7 (lower neck). I have sought physical therapy, massage, chiropractors, pain doctors with epidurals.. What I have found works the best for me is pain managment thru medications. It takes me hours to "get going" each day. It's a struggle to get up and move and get out of bed. After sitting for 20 minutes, I can't hardly get up, like I'm 90 yrs. old. My mom has DDD in her lumbar, in her late sixties and I don't feel that hers and mine are comparable. Hers is from aging, mine is from injury that showed up years later. I've experienced shooting pains down my arms, my whole hand numb and tingling. The frustation and depression that has to be dealt with in dealing with all these symptoms every day all day, in addition to trying to find a doctor who understands, is disheartening to say the least. The pharmacists who whisper and question your need for med, like you are an addict is something that no one should have to endure.
I had similar issues. What I thought was a severely pulled muscle in my back turned out to be two herniated discs in my neck. Mild numbness in the fingertips and top of my left hand developed after a few weeks then a nonstop pinched nerve pain in the shoulder started. At that point I was ready to have them amputate my arm to stop the pain. I ended up having two back surgeries recently and it seems to have been a success. I do however now feel pressure on a disc in the middle of my back due to the fusion of 3 vertebrae in the neck. I pray to God that disc in the middle of my back holds up. Overall I'm glad I had the surgery, really there was no other option. Maybe consider discussing with your dr the pros and cons of having surgery.
Dear Anonymous,
I can really sense, and relate to, your frustration. I also have DDD, have had a fusion (L5/s1), which was initially successful, but now I have ridiculous levels of pain. I apparently have other problems resulting from the DDD. For example, I now have facet arthritis, which can result from the low disk height from the DDD, scoliosis, from uneven wearing of the disks, and lots and lots of nerve pain. I also take several medications, which raise a few eyebrows, but are completely necessary for me to even function at all. I have been told I am "too young" to have this level of degeneration (I am 43) but obviously, I have something related to the original problem! My point is: Hang in there!! Please try to see other docs. Have them check for other things resulting from your original accident and DDD, which are causing you more pain. Don't give up. I know that it is easy to want to give up. I have to hear pep talks from others to simply keep going. If you can be encouraged to take one more step forward, to ask one more question, to seek out one more doc, then do it.
Please take good care of yourself!
What if it isn't exactly a natural aging process, and one is experiencing pain at a very early age? My back first went out when I was 12, which later resulted in a number of visits to the chiropractor, MRIs, and physical therapists. I later learned that I had been suffering from DDD at my L4/L5/S1. I continued to see chiropractors, but it wasn't permanent relief. I am 21 now, and I feel that my pain has only gotten worse. My discs are now starting to bulge and tear, and they are putting pressure on my surrounding nerves, to the point where I constantly sharp pains down my legs. My bladder is also affected. I am trying to continue with routine stretches, and I did a series of decompression treatments. Is there anything else I can do? I don't want my back to completely go out before I get to 30!
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Thank you for explaining this. It clears up something I've been wondering about. When I was in a car accident a few years ago, they x-rayed my back. They told me that, other than some prior disc degeneration, my back was fine. I was still a bit stunned from the accident and didn't think to ask more questions. But later I wondered about it since I don't generally have a lot of back pain other than some low back pain when I'm on my feet for a long time. It's good to know it's a normal part of aging and doesn't necessarily result in pain.
Read my post. That's what I was told too. Give it 10 years and see where you are.