Degenerative Disc Disease & Inspired Spine Surgery

Degenerative disc disease is a condition that impacts many people as they age. Our spinal discs are essential to maintaining mobility, and when these discs break down patients can experience pain, decreased range of motion, and more severe consequences. The good news is there are options for treating the condition. This article will focus on the topic of degenerative disc disease. By the end of this article you will have a basic understanding of the condition, its symptoms, and how an Inspired Spine surgical procedure can help treat degenerative disc disease.

A Brief Explanation of Degenerative Disc Disease

Before we go any further, let’s discus the basics of degenerative disc disease. Degenerative disc disease (or DDD for short) is a term for the deterioration of your spinal discs. The term itself is rather misleading because degenerative disc disease is not really a disease (apparently it just sounds better with the word “disease” at the end). Instead, the term refers to the deterioration of discs over time.

Treating DDD with Surgery

The discs in our spine play an essential function for preserving mobility and overall spine health. Spinal discs are like cushion in between each vertebra – they help absorb impact, keep the bones apart from one another, and aid in our ability to move. When spinal discs deteriorate, which is an inevitable reality for every person as they age, a number of problems can occur. Discs can herniate, or bulge out of their proper place and interfere with spinal nerves, resulting in a lot of pain, loss of feeling/function throughout the body, and potentially paralysis. If a disc is impinging a nerve, it needs to be addressed to prevent permanent nerve damage and other issues. Simply dealing with the pain from a herniated disc will only delay the litany of potential risks associated with nerve damage.

The best way to treat pinched nerves in the long run is typically with spine surgery to free up the nerve and clean up the degenerative disc(s). Inspired Spine’s minimally invasive keyhole procedures allow the surgeon to complete this surgery in under an hour and with a very small incision. That means less hospital time, shorter recovery periods, and a lot less pain for the patient.