What Is Degenerative Disc Disease & How Can It Be Managed?

The good news about Degenerative Disc Disease (DDD), if you’re one of the millions of people who have it, is that you actually don’t have a disease. Rather, DDD should be called Inevitable Disc Degeneration. The cruel hands of time cause approximately 90% of people to exhibit some level of disc deterioration by age 60, according to the Neurosurgery department at Columbia University. 
There’s more to DDD than the aging process, but the bottom line is that it can rob your quality of life. Unfortunately, conventional treatments for DDD have limitations, be they related to cost or invasiveness. If there’s one more piece of good news about DDD, however, it’s that one solution checks off all the marks: efficacy, affordability, ease-of-use, research-backed and neurosurgeon-endorsed. 
More on this solution shortly, but first, let’s cover the basics.

What is Degenerative Disc Disease?

DDD is when the intervertebral discs, which act like cushions between the spinal vertebrae, start to break down and lose their flexibility. You can think of intervertebral discs as cartilage and fiber functioning like shock absorbers for your vertebrae.

With advanced DDD, the intervertebral discs get shorter and dryer. As the interior gel-like substance in the discs—the nucleus pulposus—dehydrates, the mobility and cushioning of the discs suffer. This degeneration can cause pain, stiffness, and reduced mobility.

Symptoms of Degenerative Disc Disease

DDD is a pain in the… well, pretty much everywhere. The most common symptoms include back pain, neck pain, and radiating pain to the arms or legs. Additionally, individuals may experience tingling, numbness, and muscle weakness. The severity of symptoms varies from person to person and can 

worsen over time. When DDD significantly advances, it can lead to complications such as: 

• Radiculopathy: Pain, tingling, or weakness that radiates along the path of a nerve, often caused by compression, inflammation, or injury to the spinal nerve roots.

• Myelopathy: Dysfunction or damage to the spinal cord, leading to symptoms such as weakness, numbness, or problems with coordination.
  
  
• Spinal stenosis: A narrowing of the spaces within the spine, which can put pressure on the spinal cord and nerves, causing pain, tingling, or weakness in the legs or arms.
  
  
• Degenerative spondylolisthesis: When a vertebra slips forward over the one beneath it and joints in the spine, leading to pain and nerve damage.
  
  
• Herniated discs: The protrusion or bulging of intervertebral discs.

What Causes Degenerative Disc Disease?

According to the World Journal of Neurosurgery, lumbar disc degeneration is a major contributor to chronic lower back pain. When the discs break down, new nerves and blood vessels form, causing pressure within the disc. This increased pressure leads to disc bulging, the loss of cushioning and shrinking size. 

Figuring out exactly why DDD occurs is tricky because it's influenced by many factors, with genetics possibly playing a heavy role. Although DDD is not solely hereditary, those with immediate family members who have prominent disc degeneration are more likely to develop the condition themselves, suggests a research review in Genes & Diseases.  

In addition to heredity, environmental factors, lifestyle choices, and age also contribute to DDD’s onset and severity.

Things to Avoid with Degenerative Disc Disease

• Prolonged Sitting: Sitting for extended periods can exacerbate DDD symptoms. Take breaks, stand, and stretch regularly.
  

• Poor Posture: Avoid slouching and use ergonomic furniture to support the spine.
  

• Heavy Lifting: Strain on the spine from lifting heavy objects can accelerate disc degeneration. Lift with your legs, not your back.

• Smoking: Smoking is linked to accelerated disc degeneration.

Conventional Degenerative Disc Disease Treatment

Each of the most common interventions for DDD has its shortcomings:

• Physical Therapy: Targeted exercises can strengthen the core and support the spine. However, if you don’t have good insurance, PT can often come at a high out-of-pocket cost..

• Medications: Pain relievers, muscle relaxants, and anti-inflammatory drugs may be prescribed, but they can be habit-forming and cause liver damage when used in excess, in the case of non-steroidal anti-inflammatories (NSAIDs). 

• Injections: Corticosteroid injections can provide temporary relief from inflammation and pain. However, it’s a temporary fix that doesn’t solve the root causes of the problem, such as disc dehydration.

• Surgery: In severe cases, surgical interventions like spinal fusion may be considered. Obviously, surgery is invasive and should only be used as a last measure.

Back and Neck Pain Relief with Posture Pump® 

Posture Pump® Disc Hydrators® are designed to alleviate the discomfort associated with DDD by lifting, hydrating, stretching & separating the vertebral discs. All you have to do is lie on your back, pump the device and feel the patented Expanding Ellipsoidal Decompression (EED®) technology expand the vertebrae in your neck and lower back and restore the natural lordotic curve to those areas. 

Posture Pump®: Research-Backed, Neurosurgeon-Endorsed

Research by the world-renowned neurosurgeon, C. Normal Shealy (inventor of the modern Transcutaneous Electrical Nerve Stimulation [TENS] unit) supports the efficacy of Posture Pump® devices in improving spinal health and reducing pain. Using MRI technology, Posture Pump® has been shown to completely eliminate bulging/protrusion of cervical vertebrae after just one 20-minute session. In addition, Shealy’s data also demonstrates Posture Pump®’s ability to increase disc height, improve hydration, and enhance nutrient exchange in the intervertebral discs.

Feeling Is Believing

Over 3 million Posture Pump® units have been sold and customer reviews are overwhelmingly positive. Chiropractors, physical therapists, medical doctors, and other health professionals use Posture Pump® in their practices or recommend it to their patients. Here is just one customer review submitted by a spinal health expert:

“We have used the Posture Pump® on 10 patients with varying degrees of cervical radiculopathy related to cervical degenerative joint disease. Nine of the patients had significant reduction in their pain levels.”

—Carl B., D.P.T.; Riverside, IL

We’re so confident you can experience significant neck pain and back pain relief thanks to Posture Pump®, we offer a 60-day money back guarantee.