What is degenerative disc disease and how can it be treated?

As we age, cracks can form in our spinal discs, which can cause numbness and pain in various parts of the body. How does this happen, and how is it treated? Mr Irfan Malik, expert neurosurgeon of the London Neurosurgery Partnership, explains more.

[tehagan]

This is so painful. Some people think its just a simple back ache and have no clue of how painful this can be.

[jacquelinerobinson]

I was just diagnosed with this yesterday. I had been having back pain all in my hips and thighs and sometimes legs. This stuff is no joke.Im waiting to start therapy and hopes that it helps. I'm tired of being in pain. I been going through this for some years and never knew what the problem was. I pray we all overcome this. Blessings to each and every one of you whose going through it.

[sarahknowles]

I just got diagnosed today at 22. I have had neck and lower back pain for about 5 years with headaches, migraines, arm numbness, sever neck pain, lower back pain, shooting pain in legs and such. Awful. I am being referred to a pain clinic so hopefully they can help since physical therapy didn't. I hate not being able to do things or sit at a desk. I'm 22 years old and I have a body that feels 90. I wish all of you luck! Good luck to all of us in finding relief!

[ballsex]

i had just been told i had this, i’ve been dealing with this for 3-4 months, i know about how bad this is. i hope anyone else suffering from this gets better

[phoenixkali]

My fella been diagnosed with this today, but the pain he's experienced has aged him 20 years! Early 60s active, now hobbling with stick and can't go far. My ❤️goes out to him

[livo]

I had a lumbar discectomy done about 3 weeks ago and also have 2 discs with degeneration in the same area. So far that "arthritis" pain is almost worse. Had to wait almost 3 months to get the herniation repair and I thought I'd be much further along in recovery by now. No one can tell me if the procedure will help that pain, but it is also early to tell...I am walking daily but if I sit more than usual, the next day my hip and leg hurt. Good luck to all you pain warriors out there!

[janb]

This is something my mom has and now my brother and I have. We sometimes struggle to move. It’s extremely painful. I had to learn to sit and lay certain ways so I don’t have severe pain. It’s oddly comforting to hear everyone else’s stories. Btw I’m a tattoo artist which is a job that specifically causes stress on the back, so I need to figure out how to manage and treat this if it’s possible 😭😭

[CandyCoated]

Feels paralyzing at times. Definitely is debilitating and pain medication don't help. It's not a back ache, it's one of the worse pains you can ever have. I wouldn't wish it on an enemy.

[barbaralynch]

This video is very helpful, I have degeneration of L3, L4 and S1. When the pain is bad I it also radiates in between my shoulders, neck and arms.

This has explained the discs how they work and what happens when they are damaged really well, thank you!

[Anyonewhos]

You know what I hate more than anything. Is that the doctors won't listen. It's incredible amount of pain! I'm 36. I injured my back in 2018 at work and every year it gets worse. Disc degeneration is no joke. You can't even walk on some days and you honestly can't cope mentally with it. I despise this agony. Most days you don't want to be here.

[professortiensinternationa]

Thank you Doktor Irfan Malik ... I enjoy your vidio we got many new knowledge..

[OldSkoolLegend]

I FIXED MY C6/C7 disc hernia. Long story I found out it was just me sitting at my desk.... LEANING BACK.... but TILTING my head/chin down
to look at the monitor which was pushing out the disc.

I stopped doing that for 6 months and ALWAYS made sure to sit with my head tilted back... so CHIN UP! Got a PRP injection into that region of my did a 3 month STEROID CYCLE (to build the muscles around that region) using only and I have been fine every since. Back to playing high level tennis 4-5 times a week. Amazing that all the moron doctors/chiro's i saw.... not a single one asked me about how i sit at my desk. I myself never thought it could have been the issue.... but I started noticing a pattern of it getting triggered every time I sat like that. Maybe not WHILE i sat like that.... but it would come along after i do exercise NEAR the time I sat like that.... so maybe I would sit like that for an hour or so.... then go to exercise... and THEN I WOULD FEEL IT START TO GO.

[ArchieCrypto]

Just found out today I have this at 33yo and been dealing with it for almost 2 decades. Been to several Drs and X-rays only showed acute scoliosis, until this year Medicaid covered the cost of an MRI for me. Now the Drs know I wasn’t lying about the constant pain I’m in and random collapsing to the ground is real.

[williegohard]

I have it in the neck and it's causing tingling in my left arm and burning sensation in the back of my neck with nausea and I think that's what's causing my pressure to go up

[supernova]

I'm not a candidate for artificial disc replacement because my spine is riddled with DDD and arthritis. If you only have 1 bad disc and your spine is otherwise in good shape, then it's an option. I'm not sure about having 2 discs replaced; it may be problematic according to some studies and it's not performed too often in the US. Fusions are still the gold standard.


I'm no longer a surgical candidate to fix my back since being diagnosed with failed back surgery syndrome after a 2 level fusion left me with scarred nerve roots and nerve damage. Then after I developed adjacent segment disease, extensive DDD, spondylosis, and stenosis. All levels of my spine are affected and the worst is the lumbar segment. The only reason I'm not bedbound is the drug infusion pump and spinal cord stimulator implants. They are not cures and I still have intractable pain, but I can do a limited amount of activity between periods of rest.

[Bamboocreative]

what is the best medicen, injection,food for disc strength and quick recovery?

[blarpieman]

Here is what I did and my c5-c7 were almost completely touching with arm weakness, tingling, headaches and 3 herniation's. 1. I stopped all irritating exercise like tennis and static stability holds and bought a saunders home traction unit off ebay. I started it at less than 10 lbs of force and did 2 minutes on and 1 minute off and worked up to 25 minutes 2x a day over the course of several weeks. 2. I then have continued to increase the pressure and tolerance until I was able to pump the unit to around 35-40lbs which gets at the lower discs. Higher pressures are needed to pull those discs apart and rehydrate them. 3. I continue now to increase the pressures until no more benefit is seen which took 2 months and now I am close to maintenance. 4. At 6 week mark I was able to place my hands behind my neck fingers overlaying each other and gently do 50 reps of flexon and extension in very short movements which creates a burning in the back and front of the neck and helps to heal the discs. I do this in the shower every day. 4. Don't let anyone tell you this is a death sentence get a traction machine and use it and build up tolerance over time.

[Rhiles]

Got diagnosed when I was 27 years old after my back went out one weekend. Went from powerlifting to all dumbbells 😢

[ladyd]

heat helps, lots of cardio, water water water and almost no weights - helped me

[ursulaferrell]

I have issues with cervical, middle back, lower back, I have bulges, chronic pain and chronic inflammation, chronic sciatica, I have tried burning of the nerves, steroid injections, epidural bilateral blocks, acupuncture, physical therapy. Nothing seems to be helping me. I have taken muscle relaxers, gabapentin, , tramadol and I have tried other medications to no avail. It's just getting worse. I'm tired of being in pain. If anyone has suggestions or advice please make me aware of and I hope and pray 🙏 everyone can find relief and be pain free.🙂