Last year, I was interviewed for an article in The Indianapolis Star. This interview was by health reporter Shari Rudavsky. This interview was about degenerative disc disease.
The following are a few of the common questions about degenerative disc disease, which were asked during this interview.
Q: How common is degenerative disc disease?
A: Degenerative disc disease is quite common, especially in people in their 30’s and 40’s. It is one of the main reason’s that people see their family doctor.
Q: What causes degenerative disc disease?
A: Usually this occurs from normal degenerative changes as a result of aging. The discs in the spine are specialized joints. Just like a knee or hip that can get arthritic, the disc can also get arthritis. A common analogy used for the spinal discs is a jelly doughnut. The inside is soft and it is surrounded by a shell. When this outer shell tears, the degenerated pieces can extrude through this shell (outer covering) and then sit on the nerves on the spinal cord.
Q: What are the symptoms of degenerative disc disease?
A: The most common symptoms are neck and arm pain that radiates down the arm, below the elbow, down to the hand, associated with weakness and tingling.
