What Is Degenerative Disc Disease? Comprehensive Answers from Advanced Orthopaedics & Sports Medicine of Houston, TX
Degenerative disc disease is a common spinal condition. The spine is composed of 33 vertebrae (small, strong bones) that are separated by soft, flexible discs. Because the discs absorb the shock sustained by the spine during a wide range of activities, they tend to wear down over time. As the discs become less resilient, they can become more prone to damage. For instance, a disc’s outer shell can dry out and crack. Its soft inner material can then leak out into the spinal canal, where it can push against the spinal cord or a nearby nerve root.
Degenerative disc disease symptoms
Degenerative changes in the spine are not always painful. In some cases, the process can go undetected. However, compression of the spinal cord and spinal nerves tends to be more problematic. The most common symptoms of spinal nerve compression include:
- Localized neck or back pain
- Pain in the arms or legs
- Muscle weakness
- Tingling or numbness
How do you treat degenerative disc disease?
Minor disc degeneration may not require immediate treatment. If nerve compression develops, however, there may be several options to help relieve the resulting symptoms. Anti-inflammatory medications, pain relievers, spinal injections, physical therapy, and chiropractic adjustments all have the potential to help. In more severe cases, surgery can also become an option. A surgeon can remove some of the degenerated disc material from the spinal canal, potentially providing relief in the event that conservative therapies do not.
At Advanced Orthopaedics & Sports Medicine of Houston, we offer a full spectrum of degenerative disc disease treatments. Patients can consult with our neck and back pain specialists, as well as our physical therapists and our in-house chiropractor, to discuss the options for their unique needs. Offering comprehensive, customized treatment plans, we are able to help our patients find the relief they need to get back to their active lives.
To schedule an appointment with one of our degenerative disc disease specialists, contact Advanced Orthopaedics & Sports Medicine of Houston, Texas, today. We have several full-service locations throughout the area and invite you to visit whichever location is most convenient for you.
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1Professional Building II At North Cypress Medical Center
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2North Cypress Professional Building At Lakewood Crossing
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3North Cypress Professional Building At Towne Lake
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4Advanced Orthopaedics Memorial
What Our Patients Are Saying
This Hospital/clinic is the best that will take care of your pain and ailments. I will never trust any one else but Dr. Alain Elbaz to heal my body. The staff is awesome, polite, respectful and as professional as the team that works with Dr. Elbaz. I recommend him and all the doctors in the clinic because of their experience and honesty.
I have been fighting chronic knee pain for ten years following a knee replacement, a bone infection, and subsequent knee revision surgery. After a number of failed solutions to pain relief, Dr. Patel introduced me to RF nerve ablation procedure which has been very effective in improving my quality of life. Dr. Patel’s professionalism and proficiency are sincerely appreciated.
Dr. Mohr and his staff are very friendly people. They treated my father very well and made him feel comfortable in his uncomfortable situation.
Yes, I would certainly recommend Advanced Orthopedics & Sports Medicine to family & friends. My wife and I both have been going to see Dr. Mills for the past year, and both of us have had hand surgery performed by same. He is always very polite, and will discuss all options with you, and will not cut you short of time. He listens, he’s very professional, and bottom line is he is a great doctor. Plus all the staff that we have had contact with are very polite, and professional. Dr. Mills assistant Ms. Alexia Wilburn gets an AA ++
She has been very professional & helpful getting us through our surgeries. Thanks goes out to everyone at Advanced Orthopedics & Sports Medicine for taking care of both of us
Dr mills is exceptional. I would recommend him to anyone
All the staff performed in a professional manner.All of my questions and concerned where explained to me so i could understand them. Great job all around. Thanks
Always treated promptly and kindly at AOSM. Thanks to Dr Mack and his team.
Dr. Bacon is hands-down the best doctor I have ever had (skills, knowledge, bedside manner, and more,) Garrett is an intelligent P. A. who is very approachable and answers any and all questions promptly, and Jose is warm, incredibly compassionate and genuinely shows great concern for the patients. He represents the practice very well. There are so many more positives to say about them, but not enough room! I highly recommend Team Bacon!
Doctor Brooks is the best. His advice to get lubricant injected into my knees has made my life so much better. Kudos!
They are very professional and attentive. I was having shoulder pain. The wait was short and staff very kind.Dr. Fehsenfeld examined gave me a shot in shoulder, and it is much improved.