Degenerative disc disease is a common cause of chronic back and neck pain, affecting millions of people worldwide. As we age, the discs that cushion our vertebrae naturally lose hydration and elasticity, leading to discomfort, stiffness, and reduced mobility.
Fortunately, there are effective non-surgical options for degenerative disc disease treatment that can help you manage pain, restore function, and improve your quality of life—without the risks and downtime of surgery.
In this blog post, we’ll talk a little bit about degenerative disc disease and the available non-surgical treatments we have used to great success with our San Diego patients.
Degenerative Disc Disease Diagnosis
Degenerative Disc Disease (DDD) is diagnosed via a combination of a health history, physical examination and radiographic imaging. Also, MRI can be utilized to diagnose and distinguish between a bulging disc, herniated disc, or sequestered disc.
To learn more, check out bulging discs vs herniated discs.
In addition, it is important to make an accurate diagnosis utilizing imaging to tailor a treatment program specific to each patient. This imaging will be very important if you decide to work with a chiropractor, such as the expert team here at Intouch Chiropractic in San Diego.
Now that we’ve given some basic insight into what this disease is, let’s get into treatment for degenerative disc disease.
Treating Degenerative Disc Disease
Degenerative Disc Disease Home Care
There are steps you can take to heal your body while you are at home. Here are three such suggestions:
- We recommend patients move their bodies as much as possible. For example, going for a walk, exercising, or simply stretching.
- It is critical to maintain healthy core muscle strength to help support your spine. That is because the core muscles directly support your spine.
- You should also eat a healthy diet, drink lots of clean water, and limit or quit smoking.
Degenerative Disc Disease Treatment
In addition to physical activity and eating right, common treatment options are:
- Medications such as non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs and pain relievers
- Surgery, such as artificial disc replacement and spinal fusion
- Heat and cold therapy
- Chiropractic Care
- Non-Surgical Spinal Decompression
Our doctors recommend that you not rely on pain killers. Not only do they not cure the problem, they are highly addictive.
Instead, we recommend a natural, non-pharmaceutical, non-surgical approach that includes NUCCA Spinal Care and Non-surgical Spinal Decompression (NSSD). The combination of these two innovative and non-invasive treatments is very effective and provides pain relief to many of our patients here in San Diego.
NUCCA Spinal Care puts your body in alignment prior to your NSSD treatment. Plus, research studies have shown that 86% of patients respond favorably to Non-Surgical Spinal Decompression treatment alone. NSSD can also help treat disc herniation, facet syndrome and a slipped disc and a reversed cervical curve.
“Dr. Young and his staff have been wonderful. After my first visit I was actually pleasantly surprised to not have a screaming headache at the end of the day. Such an amazing experience to get some help without taking meds that have harmful affects in the long run, something I really appreciate. Don’t get me wrong, meds have their place and I’m an advocate for making sure to follow doctor’s orders. However, I wanted to see if I could be helped with appropriate adjustments before adding meds or surgery to my needs. I know my body has a good system to heal it sometimes just needs a reminder. Dr. Young and his team helped to remind my body to help itself get stronger.” – Intouch Chiropractic Review by Becky W.
Contact Intouch Chiropractic to Begin Your Treatment
If you would like to see our team of expert chiropractors, schedule a consultation with our office. We look forward to seeing you and helping you get back to the things you love to do!
Want expert help? Call our office today at (619) 756-7510 or request an appointment here.
