“Degenerative disc disease” or short “degenerated disc” is mostly caused by degenerative conditions in the body. At present, it is found that people of working age as young as 30 years old can develop cervical disc degeneration due to risky behavior or improper spinal alignment, which disrupts the ability of spinal discs to absorb shock and distribute weight effectively. As a result, the spinal joints become inflamed and deteriorate, causing chronic pain, and may have complications.
This affects the daily life of patients with this disease more or less depending on the severity of the disease.
Very important for symptoms of spinal disc degeneration, Warning signs you should know. The resulting signals can be divided into 3 stages of severity as follows:
Patients will begin to experience irregular back pain and may still be able to function normally during this period. If left untreated for an extended period, back pain will increase and later become chronic symptoms.
In the later stages, when the cervical disc begins to move or protrude and squeeze or press on the nerve, the patient will experience pain radiating from the neck down to the arm or from the back down to the legs the feet, and may also be accompanied by numbness.
At this stage, it is considered dangerous, patients will experience increased pain, numbness, weakness, and serious bowel problems due to severe nerve injury, which is a risk of disability. The patients should seek treatment as soon as possible.
Treatment guidelines for degenerative disc disease depend mainly on the severity of the disease. In the early stages, doctors may consider supportive treatment, such as taking painkillers, muscle relaxants, physical therapy, etc.
Suppose the patient has unbearable pain even after receiving medication and doing physical therapy. In that case, the patient has an appearance of muscle weakness, or in the case where the patient has abnormal digestive system problems caused by nerve compression, the doctor may consider having the patient undergo surgery.
Currently, minimally invasive surgery yields good results with fewer complications than traditional surgery and a shorter recovery period resulting in faster patients returning to their normal lives.
Self-care after undergoing surgery for a degenerative disc is as follows.
Note: Strictly taking care of yourself after surgery for degenerative disc, this will help your body recover quickly and eventually return to living a normal life.
Orthopedic Center, Ramkhamhaeng Hospital is ready to provide diagnostic, treatment, and orthopedic surgery services. Using quality medical tools and technology under international standards. Patients can be reassured and receive treatment safely and without worry. Contact and inquire about basic treatment guidelines through various channels of the hospital are available.
