Lumbar Degenerative Disk: Causes, Symptoms & Treatments
Spinal disks are prone to wear and tear as you get older. Lumbar degenerative disk causes chronic lower back pain in the lumbar spine and makes it difficult to continue your daily routine.
Since this can largely affect your lower back and create motion instability, it gets worse as time progresses. If you’re one of those candidates who are suffering from lumbar degenerative discs, you must contact a spine specialist to get the right herniated disk treatment.
Causes
Since the protein in the lumbar disc irritates the surrounding nerves, it causes inflammation and creates low back pain.
When discs in your spine can no longer absorb the stress, it causes lumbar pain.
Minor injuries and stresses can cause tiny tears in the outer wall, which can be painful for the nerves. And if the wall breaks down, the disk may bulge, affecting the surrounding nerves.
Symptoms
Persistent lower back pain that has lasted more than six weeks.
Pain in the lower back radiating to the hips and legs.
Feeling pain while twisting, bending and lifting objects.
Pain due to minimal motions of the joints.
Numbness and tingling sensation in the legs.
Difficulty in walking.
Leg pain due to nerve pinching.
Pain while sitting or taking heavy loads.
Treatment Options
The main goal is to get relief from pain and stop the damage. The treatment options include:
Medications
Generally, over-the-counter medications such as ibuprofen and aspirin can help you fight inflammation. They can effectively provide you relief from pain. Apart from this, if required, your doctor can provide you with other strong drugs.
Physical Therapy
When it comes to making your back and neck muscles stronger, certain movements can help you. In most of the cases, medications and physical therapy are proven to be enough.
Epidural Shots
Steroid is a strong medication that can eliminate pain, inflammation as well as swelling. Your doctor may recommend you have a shot in the epidural space in your back or in your nerves.
Surgery
Surgery is the one and only option when all other conservative options fail. Discectomy is a herniated disk treatment procedure that removes the damaged part of your disk. In some other cases, your doctor may remove the entire disk area and put in an artificial one.
Visit a Pain Clinic
If you’re suffering from lower back pain, it can affect the quality of your life. When it comes to finding the right treatment, you should visit Oklahoma Pain Treatment Centers. Our pain physicians will perform an initial examination to find out the root cause of your pain and provide you with a suitable treatment plan.
**Disclaimer: These tips are not advised or suggested by doctors. The products that are promoted here are not FDA CERTIFIED to treat, cure or prevent any disease.