Westborough Spine Center
Degenerative Disc Disease
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Breakthrough Treatment For Degenerative Disc Pain....
Degenerative Disc Disease is a progressive situation that occurs in many as they age. What we see with the condition is that the discs between the vertebrae in the back tend to lose some or all of their height. These discs are very important in the spine because they give the spine a cushion that allows it to move smoothly and gives it a shock absorption system that can take the impacts that we are exposed to on a daily basis.
Westborough Spine Center - Dr. Paul Turner, D.C. - 57 East Main Street - Suite 139 - Westborough, MA 01581 - 508-898-0144
At the Westborough Spine Center we have been giving hope to those that suffer from Degenerative Disc Disease by offering a new treatment that is revolutionary. Instead of going after the symptoms of the disease, we go after the cause and work directly at the level of the discs. Many that have been told that they were going to have to live with the pain of the degenerative condition have found relief with the procedure we provide in this office.
What Is Degenerative Disc Disease?
To understand the development of Degenerative Disc Disease, we need to go over some of the characteristics of the disc that make it unique. First, the disc does not have a direct blood supply. There are no blood vessels that feed the disc necessary nutrients and oxygen. A normally functioning disc is able to receive these essential elements through disc effusion that occurs with normal spinal joint movement.
Another feature that makes the disc an unique structure is that it is under constant pressure. The disc acts the same way a shock absorber does in your car. A normally functioning disc is able to keep the bones or vertebrae separated during activities such as running, lifting, and walking. The ability to absorb a load and spring back to its normal shape is essential to the proper functioning of the back and allows for protection of the delicate spinal cord and nerves that branch off of it.
Now that we see what makes the spinal disc unique, we can also see how a change in the structure of this natural cushion can have dire consequences. In Degenerative Disc Disease we see that the disc starts to lose some of its normal height. It is no longer able to provide the normal cushioning that is required between the vertebrae. The disc thinning typically is caused by the forces that have been applied on it year after year. Over time the disc fluids forced out by compressive loads have not been replaced by what should have been a normal replenishment cycle so a deficit develops.
As the disc looses height, it also has lost a lot of its flexibility. What was once highly flexible has become brittle. The chemical composition has changed also, going from an alkaline state to a highly acidic one.
Without the normal separation of the vertebrae in the spine, a condition develops where we have bones becoming closer to each other. We have a situation where the vertebrae are essentially rubbing against each other. The openings for the spinal nerves between the segments, called the neural foramina, have become compressed and narrowed which puts direct pressure on them. Symptoms that may develop from this bone on nerve compression are: sharp pain, burning, numbness, tingling, and muscle weakness. Over time the degenerative process can affect the overall integrity of the nerve and have an effect the organs that are innervated from the compromised region.
Another feature that makes the disc an unique structure is that it is under constant pressure. The disc acts the same way a shock absorber does in your car. A normally functioning disc is able to keep the bones or vertebrae separated during activities such as running, lifting, and walking. The ability to absorb a load and spring back to its normal shape is essential to the proper functioning of the back and allows for protection of the delicate spinal cord and nerves that branch off of it.
Now that we see what makes the spinal disc unique, we can also see how a change in the structure of this natural cushion can have dire consequences. In Degenerative Disc Disease we see that the disc starts to lose some of its normal height. It is no longer able to provide the normal cushioning that is required between the vertebrae. The disc thinning typically is caused by the forces that have been applied on it year after year. Over time the disc fluids forced out by compressive loads have not been replaced by what should have been a normal replenishment cycle so a deficit develops.
As the disc looses height, it also has lost a lot of its flexibility. What was once highly flexible has become brittle. The chemical composition has changed also, going from an alkaline state to a highly acidic one.
Without the normal separation of the vertebrae in the spine, a condition develops where we have bones becoming closer to each other. We have a situation where the vertebrae are essentially rubbing against each other. The openings for the spinal nerves between the segments, called the neural foramina, have become compressed and narrowed which puts direct pressure on them. Symptoms that may develop from this bone on nerve compression are: sharp pain, burning, numbness, tingling, and muscle weakness. Over time the degenerative process can affect the overall integrity of the nerve and have an effect the organs that are innervated from the compromised region.
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