Advanced Pain Therapy, LLC

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Degenerative Disc Disease (DDD)

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Treatment

DDD treatments include both surgical and non-surgical options. The medication utilized in providing short term relief from lumbar painful sensations associated with the degenerative disc disorder includes:

• Epidural/Facet Steroidal Injections
• NSAID drugs based on substances like naproxen, aspirin, ibuprofen, etc.
• Anti-inflammatory medication

However, narcotic drugs and analgesic medication is only recommended for short term usage because of the setbacks, namely addiction/increased tolerance and long-term side effects.

Enrolling in a physical therapy program has shown a considerable rate of success as long term solution due to its ability of strengthening the back muscles and reducing the stress placed on the spinal column.

Spinal manipulations performed by a licensed chiropractic have sometimes proven effective as well. In essence, a skilled chiropractor is able to determine the position of the pinched nerves and realign the vertebrae in a manner that alleviates the tension.

Stem cell injections are currently undergoing clinical trials and if proven successful, modern medicine may have a way to help the body re-grow the nucleus pulposus tissue on its own.

When neither of the aforementioned treatments or a combination of them is effective in reducing/eliminating the lumbar pains related to DDD, the physician will recommend undergoing one of the following surgical procedures:

• Single level spinal fusion, either in the L5-S1 (less disabling in terms of post treatment movement potential) or L4-L5 (movement is more problematic post-surgery).
• Multilevel spinal fusion, which leave the patient substantially movement impaired and are less frequently recommended except in very severe cases.