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Lumbar degenerative disk disease (DDD) is defined simply as the wear and tear of the intervertebral disk, which may result from normal aging or be due to longstanding trauma. It involves small tears in the annulus of the disk (elastic outer ring of collagen fibers) and lack of water content of the nucleus of the disk (soft gel center). The degenerative cascade can lead to disk bulging, development of bone spurs (or osteophytes) and loss of disk space height and/or alignment, which can cause nerve impingement. DDD can also lead to degenerative instability, the loss of the ability of the spine under physiologic loads to maintain its pattern of normal movement due to disk degeneration.
Diagnosing Degenerative Disk Disease:
Your doctor will perform a physical examination to identify areas of pain and weakness and will evaluate your balance and the overall movement of your spine. Your doctor will also collect information about the history of your symptoms, including medicine you have taken for your condition. After your examination, your doctor may use tests to help establish his or her diagnosis. Some of these tests include X-ray, CT (computed tomography) scan and MRI (magnetic resonance imaging). Together, all of these techniques help to confirm a diagnosis of lumbar DDD.
Symptoms of lumbar degenerative disk disease:
- Pain at the site of the injury
- Pain, numbness, or tingling in the legs
- Strong pain that tends to come and go
- Pain is worse when bending, twisting, and/or sitting
- Lying down relieves pressure on the spine