Degenerative Disc Disease Treatment in Naperville
Degenerative Disc Disease Near Me
Degenerative Disc Disease Treatment Options – Avoid Surgery & Injections
Degenerative Disc Disease treatment options in Naperville – A degenerative disc is often considered a condition that mainly affects older adults. This is not entirely true. Degeneration just gets worse with time and older adults just have had more time to degenerate. The degenerative process has been found in ages as young as adolescents and teens. It’s the process of your discs decaying and or dehydrating over time from immobility, injury, or repetitive traumas that damage the discs such as some normal daily activities and sports/athletic activities.
If you’ve been told by your doctor that you have degenerative disc disease, he or she is telling you that your discs have worn out from the stressors you’ve endured throughout your life and they have started to decay. Degenerative disc disease is an aspect of osteoarthritis of the spine. This is not the end of the world. The majority of the people on this planet are dealing with some type of degeneration. Below we will explain in more detail the things associated with having degenerative disc disease and how you can help manage this condition.
How Do You Get Degenerative Disc Disease?
The disc are the structures that lay between the bones in the spine. They are made up of strong ring layered cartilage on the outside and a gelatinous material on the inside. Their job is to absorb the shock that is put into your spine during your everyday activities. That being said, every trauma down the every step you’ve taken has sent a shock that was absorbed by these discs. Over time, these discs start to wear and tear due to the life long amount of pressure you’ve put into them.
Disc degeneration occurs in everyone. There are stages of decay ranging from 1 to 3 with 3 being the worst. Not only is the pain worse with the later stages, it’s also harder to get rid of the symptoms.
Stage 1:
Begins with a loss of normal curvature in the spine that caused the disc spaces to narrow and the beginning stages of stiffness. Usually there isn’t much pain associated with stage 1, and if there is, it comes and goes. A lot of people mistake this discomfort for muscle tightness or stress.
Stage 2:
When stage one is ignored, the discs start to degenerate and become more stiff creating a decrease in function. At this level, dehydration is occurring and the bones start to get involved by reshaping and building bone spurs to help stabilize the degenerated disc. Pain levels become more frequent and the usual at home pain relieving treatments don’t work as well as they used to.
Stage 3:
At this point you have neglected this problem and now more permanent changes have been made in your spine. A disc can degenerate to the point to where it’s bone on bone. Your normal range of motion can be gone forever and the damage is irreversible. No one wants to be associated with this phase. The treatment options become more drastic if the pain is severe. Conservative care is possible to manage but full recovery is likely unattainable.
Degenerative disc disease is one of those conditions that is very hard to avoid. According to one website, states that 30% of people show evidence of a degenerative disc by the age of 35 and more than 90% show evidence by the age of 60.
Degenerative Disc Disease Affects Many People!
- The office worker working their normal desk job who sits for hours upon hours each day for years and years will begin to show symptoms from inactivity due to prolonged sitting.
- The athlete who has the best fitness on the planet will create damage to their disc from the heavy weights lifted and the abuse he or she will sustain while competing in athletic competition.
- The nurse who runs 3-5 miles, 3-5 days per week, who also has to help to lift patients who are too hurt to help themselves, she degenerates overtime due to repetitive stressors from her daily activities.
- The student who looks down constantly when writing notes, reading books, and working on their laptops. Not to mention the countless hours looking at their phone. This child or young adult wears out their discs from looking down for the majority of the day.
- The commuter who has been involved in a couple of accidents over the last 5-10 years.
All of these everyday activities cause the disc in the spine to become worn and it starts to deteriorate and eventually start to cause discomfort that comes and goes and a reduction in function that gradually gets worse over time.
Symptoms of Degenerative Disc Disease!
The symptoms people can feel from degenerative discs can range from mild aches and stiffness to severe, disabling pain. Common areas affected are typically the neck and lower back. The pain usually comes and goes initially and over time becomes more severe and more frequent. Flare ups can occur often. Pain is common when setting for prolonged periods, bending, lifting, or twisting. Pain and other symptoms such as numbness and tingling can shoot down or radiate down the arms from the neck and down into the buttocks and legs from the low back. The pain is described as dull, achy and sometimes sharp when there is a flare up.
Diagnosis of Degenerative Disc Disease!
If you have any of the symptoms of this condition, your doctor will perform a physical exam and take a medical history. We will explore your spinal ranges of motion and address test for nerve function. If we suspect you are suffering from this condition, then we may order an MRI, X-ray or CT scan. A bone scan may also be used to check for issues with a potential growth in your back. Degenerative Disc Disease is visible on x-ray, and may give insight into the severity of any degenerative changes in the spine.
Once a diagnosis has been provided your doctor will recommend the treatment options available to you for this condition. Each plan will plan will vary depending on the age and physical abilities of the patient, how severe the condition is, and any other limitations noted in your health history. Most often care will include specific chiropractic adjustments and spinal decompression therapy.
Treatments For Degenerative Disc Disease!
There are various treatments and solutions if you are suffering from degenerative disc disease. These treatments can help reduce levels of pain and discomfort that you may experience with this condition.
SPINAL DECOMPRESSION
Another potential treatment option is nonsurgical spinal decompression therapy. This can be used to relieve the symptoms of Degenerative Disc Disease including back pain. It may allow you to improve your quality of life and remain more active with this condition, without needing surgery. The treatment can also be used to treat neck weakness and tingling. All these issues are common with spinal stenosis.
With non-surgical decompression, motorized traction is used to relieve back pain. Similar to chiropractic care, the decompression works by gently and gradually stretching the spine. In doing so, the treatment provides more space for the nervous system and once again ensures that messages can be sent effectively.
This also helps to alter the position and force of the spine, removing pressure on the spinal discs. As bulging and disks often retract during this treatment structures like this are moved off the nerve. It can even help ensure that the spine can heal if there has already been significant deterioration due to this condition.
This is due to water, nutrients, and oxygen being able to move freely to different areas of the spine.
How Does Spinal Decompression Work?
Spinal Decompression is completely noninvasive. During this treatment, you may fall asleep because of how comfortable you feel. Our Back on Trac spinal decompression tables look more like a recliner and do not turn you upside-down to achieve the necessary movement.
Treatment will typically last up to 15 minutes for one session. Patients will often complete multiple sessions with the total number of sessions based on the severity of the problem and other factors specific to you as a person. This can often be coupled with other treatment options including electrical stimulation, laser therapy, and home recommendations.
Spinal Decompression Can Offer Fast Results!
While it’s true that every patient is different most find decompression therapy incredibly effective. Indeed, it’s true to say that response times can be noticeable in just a few sessions with many finding substantial relief after just one session. The therapy can be adjusted to make sure it is providing the best level of support.
CHIROPRACTIC CARE
Chiropractic Care has been shown to be effective for patients suffering from Spinal Degeneration.
Slow The Progression of Spinal Degeneration
One of the most important reasons to visit a chiropractor if you suffer from this condition is to ensure that it doesn’t get any worse. This is quite common with this condition. While it is difficult to reverse the damage caused by spinal stenosis, a chiropractor can often slow the progression. Since osteoarthritis and spinal degeneration occur when joints in the spine have had limited motion, chiropractic adjustments can restore normal function in the spine.
How Chiropractic Care Can Help Spinal Degeneration
The treatments provided by a chiropractor will be focused on ensuring that proper alignment, movement, and function is maintained. This guarantees that messages can be transmitted through the nervous system without interference. As well as reducing pain, it helps make sure that functions of your body will continue normally.
A key element of this is to apply gentle adjustments to your spine. This will help ensure that the range of motion can be restored. It can also increase the space that your nervous system has to transmit messages. The right support here can also guarantee that weight is effectively distributed across the spine which will result in less pressure on the spinal joints.
You might have accidentally stumbled onto an example of the type of relief chiropractic care can provide in your daily life. If you suffer from this condition, you may have found leaning over or getting a stretch in your spine provides temporary pain relief. When your spine is lengthened, it provides an additional level of space. Chiropractic care can ensure that you gain similar space in your spine through recommended stretching and exercises provided as a part of your care program.
Why Choose Spinal Decompression Over Surgery for Spinal Degeneration?
Spinal decompression surgery may be recommended by a doctor in severe cases. This is usually if Degenerative Disc Disease is impacting a patient’s ability to walk or if it is causing various issues that impact the quality of life including incontinence. In fact, there are cases that have progressed too far to be a good candidate for chiropractic care or spinal decompression therapy.
However, in most cases, many patients will benefit more from therapy. Since it is not invasive, this is a far less dangerous option. Concern over making the problem worse is a factor with surgery. Similarly, spinal decompression therapy can provide long-lasting results that are similar and may even replicate the impact of a surgical procedure. Remember, even with surgery it is not possible to cure the condition. You can only reduce the symptoms and improve your nervous system function.
Surgery is also particularly dangerous for those in their later years of life. In contrast, spinal decompression therapy is suitable for both young and old individuals. Perhaps the best part for patients is that it does not cause pain, it relieves it. You won’t feel any discomfort during this treatment, and only occasionally do patients report soreness post-treatment.
With surgery, you will often be bedridden for weeks after your treatment is complete. You may even require extensive physical therapy before you can return to your normal routine. With spinal decompression therapy from a professional chiropractor, you can get the treatment and then get back to your daily routine immediately.
You also won’t need any medication which eliminates issues with side effects that can be a problem with pain medication currently recommended by doctors. With spinal decompression therapy, it really can be as simple as one, pain-free, thirty-minute procedure.
Do you think you might be suffering from spinal stenosis? It’s possible that you have already received a diagnosis and are now exploring treatment options. Regardless of your situation, do not suffer in silence. With chiropractic care and decompression therapy, pain and other symptoms can be substantially reduced. You can get relief, but we do need to start with a consultation and figure out the best plan of action for you.
Call Our Naperville Back Pain Treatment Center Today to Get Relief From Degenerative Disc Disease! (630) 355-8022
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