Degenerative Disc Disease
What is Degenerative Disc Disease?
Unlike other tissues in the body, spinal discs have a low blood supply and are therefore unable to repair themselves. As humans age, the discs in the back and neck start to deteriorate. This condition, known as degenerative disc disease, brings symptoms of shooting or burning pain in the arms legs hands or feet (radicular pain), numbness or tingling, pain in the neck or lower back or weakness.
This process often presents with chronic or long term low level pain with low-level chronic pain with periodic exacerbations or episodes of severe pain. These episodes of more severe pain can start to occur every few years to twice per year to more frequent. They can also cause more damage as the years progress without a treatment to restore functionality of the mechanics.
In between the vertebrae of the spinal column, from the second cervical bone (C2) and the way to the lowest vertebral segment in the lumbar spine L5, there are intervertebral discs. The discs allow for movement of the spine, it serves as a shock system for the spine and most importantly provides a space for the spinal nerve root to live by separating the vertebrae above froth vertebrae below.
When the disc dehydrates it breaks down over time, and the hard material at the inside of the disc ruptures through the small cracks, creating a disc herniations. Irritation and compression of the nerves can cause mild to severe pain, tingling, numbness and weakness.
Treatment for Degenerative Disc Disease
At West Coast Wellness, we offer cutting edge and state-of-the art technology and treatment to not only help with the herniation, bulge or degenerated discs but more importantly, correct the cause of the problem. Non-surgical Spinal Decompression is the most effective to help re-establish that normal pumping mechanism that is essential for the disc to heal and become rehydrated.