What Causes Degenerative Disc Disease?

Degenerative Disc Disease, or DDD, is caused when the accumulated stresses on the spine damage the inner structures of the spinal discs. Damage to the spinal disc structures occurs due to an increase in hydrostatic pressure. Hydrostatic pressure increases when blood flow is restricted or diminished. The video below will help you understand spinal disc health and how it gets damaged.

The primary cause of degenerative disc disease is decreased forward flow of nutrients. Decreased nutrients or blood flow occurs when the spine is under excessive axial loading. Axial loading of the spine occurs with sitting, standing, or bending at the waist. Anytime you are in an upright or weight-bearing position, there is increased axial loading. However, the body can tolerate daily activities requiring load-bearing activities. Axial loading becomes an issue when they occur over a prolonged or extended period, such as prolonged sitting. The most damaging aspect of axial loading is seen in people who sit with a leading forward posture while working on their computers or desktops.

Prolonged weight-bearing, especially in a poor posture, causes decreased blood flow to the disc, leading to disc dehydration. The desiccated disc is the term for a dehydrated spinal disc.

Function of the spinal disc

Spinal discs are the most essential of all components in your spine. They bear weight, separate, and connect the spine to provide you the mobility you need in your daily life. When spinal degree, they lead to tears and herniations. Degenerated discs also place enormous amounts of stress on your spinal joints and spinal muscles. The collective impact of a degenerated disc in your lower back can lead to paralysis. This article will provide an overview of degenerative discs disease to help you understand the cause of your lower back pain or leg pain in Malaysia. If you need more information on back, leg pain, or spinal disc treatments, please call our main center at 03 2093 1000. Our corrective teams of physiotherapists and chiropractors in KL are ready to help you reclaim your life from back pain, leg pain, and sciatica pain in Malaysia.

What is Degenerative Discs Disease, and how it impacts your back?

Degenerative disc disease of the lumbar spine is one of the most common causes associated with lower back pain. It has been shown that the degeneration and deterioration of the lumbar disc can lead to an asymptomatic lower back condition. Progressive degenerative disc disease can result in acute or chronic back pain with an associated clinical instability of the spinal segments. DDD can lead to abnormal spinal segmental movement, misalignment of the spinal joints, spinal stenosis.

The basis of initial evaluation involves plain radiographs (X-rays) of the lumbar spine. Reduced disc height and narrowing of the facet joints are common findings on the X-rays in degenerative disc disease and osteoarthritis of the spine. Osteophytes and sclerosis of the upper and lower endplates are frequent radiographic findings for degeneration. Narrowing of the lateral recesses and the spinal canal can be visible on CT or MRI of the spine. We can identify radial or concentric tears and disruption of the annulus fibrosus with MRI, showing better resolution for soft tissues.

Instability of the spine results in a lack of a typical spinal segmental displacement pattern under physiologic loads. Hence, there is an increased risk of neurological deficits, incapacitating spinal deformity, and pain. 

According to Kirkaldy-Willis and Farfan, there are three functional phases of degenerative disc disease:

1.     Temporary dysfunction without instability;
2.     Unstable phase;
3.     Stabilization phase following calcification of ligaments.

During the early phases of degenerative disc disease, increased microscopical structural deterioration improves functional impairment.  

What is the best treatment for Degenerative Disc Disease in Malaysia?

Degenerative disc disease or DDD results when cumulative stress on the spine is greater than the spinal discs’ ability. In other words, disc degeneration occurs when too many stressful events put on a weak spine.

To recover, you need focused treatment options that stabilized the backbone to a point where the encountered stresses are handled better. Our clinical teams of chiropractors and physiotherapists are the best spine and joint practitioners in Malaysia. Their approach to spinal disc damage is comprehensive. They employ manual methods and use advanced spine technology to help repair and fix spinal joint and spinal disc damage. The best treatment for spinal disc damage such as degenerative discs disease is through NSD Therapy®. NSD Therapy® is a combination of chiropractic, physiotherapy, and rehabilitation procedures provided manual and breakthrough spine technology to repair the damage without injections or spine surgery in Malaysia.

Visit the best chiropractic center in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, today. For more information about our centers and treatments, please contact us at 03-2093 1000.