Degenerative Disk Disease

[grinder76]

So last night while leaving a friend's house I took a nasty fall on his steps outside. I busted my head open pretty good so my gf took me to the ER to get stitches. They did a CT Scan to see if I had a concussion (I didn't) and the nurse came back and said I had Degenerative Disk Disease.

I've been really down about this all day and I don't know what to do. My back feels ok and feels fine even during and after heavy squats/deads.

Should I drop the squats and deads or go lighter and up my reps? Throw them out completely? Or should I keep on as usual until I develop symptoms?

This sucks cuz I love squats and deads. I would appreciate any advice you bros can offer.

 

[Thunder46]

I've had it for years I just don't do heavy squats anymore and replaced deads for rack pulls, do lots of stretching and keep your core strong

 

[milkhouse]

You're lucky then my friend. I'm down in dumps right now because the pain is almost unbearable!

 

[Thunder46]

You're lucky then my friend. I'm down in dumps right now because the pain is almost unbearable!

Oh believe me I have days like that too where I can't even go to work, can't get in and out of my truck, flexeril and vicoden has been my savior many times

 

[Ripper Jack]

I've got it and like thunder said vicoden is a savior and also go get the blocks put in. Its a series of 3 administered every 2 weeks and then you wait 6 months and start it again. Also if you dont have a tempurpedic bed,get one!

 

[milkhouse]

Oh believe me I have days like that too where I can't even go to work, can't get in and out of my truck, flexeril and vicoden has been my savior many times

I wish I could get my hands on vicoden. The stupid doctor who did the diagnosis won't give it to me. He just wants to pawn off the pt clinic he likes. Says if I did their pt I wouldn't have any pain. Yeah right. Tell me there's gonna be no pain when I drive an hour and a half to work and by the time I get there i can't even feel my right foot.

 

[milkhouse]

Thunder46, have you used inversion at all? Was wondering if an inversion table would help at all?

 

[Thunder46]

Thunder46, have you used inversion at all? Was wondering if an inversion table would help at all?

I've never tried it I was going to a chiroprator and that help but its not a cure and the job I had at the time did not cover it so I was paying out of pocket so had to stop. Physical theraphy did help but when your in pain you need medication. I'm lucky every year when I have my physical my doc renews my scripts for the whole year

 

[TIMMO]

i find my inversion table was the best £200 ive ever spent, you have to persevere with it but well worth it.

go and buy one NOW

 

[milkhouse]

I've been looking on Amazon. Just like everything there's the super cheap and the super expensive inversion tables. Prolly end up going middle of the road. I've got duty insurance so pt is pretty much out for me as an option.

 

[chinaboy]

DDD is just a term. Everyone has it, it's called aging. Trust me you have nothing to worry about with DDD more than anyone else. The one thing that consistently slows degeneration is good physical therapy though. The greater your core strength and flexibility the lesser the amount of forces reach your spine. When forces reach the spine it causes micro trauma which creates degeneration over time. Inversion tables can help if used consistently but if you have pain seek a good physical therapist. Vicodin has its place but is not the answer.

And a basic teeter inversion table runs $200-300 from amazon and should be all you need. PM me if you got any questions.

 

[grinder76]

Thanks. I guess I'm gonna be looking into one of these tables.

 

[buck]

So last night while leaving a friend's house I took a nasty fall on his steps outside. I busted my head open pretty good so my gf took me to the ER to get stitches. They did a CT Scan to see if I had a concussion (I didn't) and the nurse came back and said I had Degenerative Disk Disease.

I've been really down about this all day and I don't know what to do. My back feels ok and feels fine even during and after heavy squats/deads.

Should I drop the squats and deads or go lighter and up my reps? Throw them out completely? Or should I keep on as usual until I develop symptoms?

This sucks cuz I love squats and deads. I would appreciate any advice you bros can offer.

you had a CT scan of your head and neck?
the nurse told you the diagnosis?
i would get further evaluations before i made any real plans on how to deal with the problem.

 

[grinder76]

you had a CT scan of your head and neck?
the nurse told you the diagnosis?
i would get further evaluations before i made any real plans on how to deal with the problem.

Yea, she said the scan on my head and neck showed DDD. I'd head straight to my primary physician but I have no insurance at the moment. As soon as I can, I'll get this checked out. Just trying to see what I should do in the meantime.

 

[ripped358]

Whoever said DDD is nothing to worry about has know knowledge on the subject.
I have DDD among other spinal problems every year it gets worse over time. the degenerative disc disease gets very painful as the name implies ,it degenerates causing major spinal issues.it took ten years for it to get to the point if no return needing surgery.
You need to see a neurosurgeon and get an m.r.i.
And keep an eye on it before it gets to the point where you'll need meds. Just to get through the day ,if you have any questions feel free to email me or pm me
Best of luck

 

[chinaboy]

I do have plenty of knowledge on the subject. DDD is a term that describes the aging process of the spine. Everyone will have DDD as everyone ages. Not all people have pain or problems associated the it though. You can MRI the general population and 80% of people have visual spine issues but a small fraction have problems correlating with the imaging. The guy said he has no pain so why should he see a surgeon? Surgery is a last resort for spine issues after failing conservative treatments like physical therapy.

 

['thundr55']

I agree with Chinaboy and some others. There are plenty of people in the population with all sorts of disorders on x-ray, yet they have no physical symptomatology whatsoever.

Take it with a grain of salt and be proactive. It's a warning, not a death sentence.

 

[ripped358]

I do have plenty of knowledge on the subject. DDD is a term that describes the aging process of the spine. Everyone will have DDD as everyone ages. Not all people have pain or problems associated the it though. You can MRI the general population and 80% of people have visual spine issues but a small fraction have problems correlating with the imaging. The guy said he has no pain so why should he see a surgeon? Surgery is a last resort for spine issues after failing conservative treatments like physical therapy.

The reason I said to to see a neurosurgeon or a neurologist is because
The pain can sneak up on you just like in my case.when I first got diagnosed with it the pain was not bad and they said if yoh can do
Without surgery than go that route. Cause the surgery very risky ,so I tried every modality with no avail .jump 6 years down the line the DDD mg got so bad I needed meds just to get through the day.
Now I finally needed surgery and that didn't help the pain at all just stopped. Me fr progressing.now if j didn't wait that long u would of not been living in pain everyday .
I also have DDD on L1-2-3-4-5-S1-S2
Among other things but now I get an M.R.I
Every ) months to see if its getting worse i don't need any more pain. Than I gave already

 

[pumped1961]

im 51 have ddd in cervical c5c6 disks sucks lost alot of strength on left arm tricept and bicept keep an eye on your spine friend

 

[LEX]

I would highly recommend waiting as long as you can to have a fusion. That being said if your quality of life is such you can't live or don't want to live with it by all means get some help. Get a few opinions PLEASE and see both a neuro and ortho and if you choose Neuro ask if they did a spine fellowship they should of MOST DON"T

Its uncommon on a lumbar spine fusion to be pain free after surgery keep that in mind, realistically you are looking at less pain and likely more fusions in the future on adjacent levels.

best of luck bro, hang in there.