Degenerative Disc Disease Treatment - What Are Your Options?

The choice of lumbar spinal stenosis or degenerative disc disease treatment depends upon the case that has been found to be triggering the thinning of the spinal canal. As an example, in degenerative disc disease and herniated disc, compression of the spinal cord and its nerve roots results from the protruding contents of the disc center (“nucleus pulposus”). Also, the compression of the nerve builds up as a result of irregular spine curvatures also known as spondylosis, or unstable spine (spondylolisthesis). If the nerve being compressed by the spinal stenosis is the sciatic nerve, sciatica develops.

There's still several controversy around the efficacy of non-surgical treatment for spinal stenosis because the methods tend not to correct the problem within the spine. Exercises and yoga can just relieve the symptoms in the short term.

One more form of treatment of spinal stenosis is spinal decompression therapy. Spinal decompression machines such as the VAX-D and the DRX9000 have been invented in order to correct compressed spinal canals resulted from degenerated or herniated discs. However in case the cause of the stenosis is bony spurs as a result of osteoarthritis, this treatment is certainly contraindicated. Also, in people suffering with accompanying osteoporosis, spinal decompression would possibly not only worsen the stenosis, it might even result in fractures in vertebratal bones.

What is deemed the best alternative among numerous spinal stenosis treatments is surgery. One of the most frequently conducted surgical procedure is laminectomy, which involves removing the lamina or roof of the affected vertebra to be able to ease the pressure upon the spinal cord.

Laminectomy, being an invasive procedure has complications. Spinal instability is most likely the major complication of laminectomy. As a result, the procedure is conducted together with spinal fusion. Failed Back Syndrome (FBS) is also one complication, in which pain persists in spite of repeated back surgeries. Some of the factors that give rise to the development of this condition are: recurring disc herniation; persistent post-op pressure on a spinal nerve; cigarette smoking; scar tissue; transformed joint mobility or joint hypermobility with instability; historical past of systemic disorders (diabetes, autoimmune diseases, peripheral vascular disease); deconditioning of the spinal muscular; anxiety; and depression.

For these cases, patients might have to have additional treatments, like minor nerve blocks, TENS, NSAIDs, anti-depressants intake, and epidural steroid injections.

Recently, a laser treatment that is minimally-invasive, laminotomy for example, has been found to be effective as a kind of degenerative disc disease treatment with just a small risk for the complications that accompany major surgery.