Degenerated disc disease is one of the common causes of lower back pain. It is a part of aging or injury. Sometime it is a associated with disc herniation which cause radiating pain in the leg.

Why it happen?

The inter-vertebral discs are made up of two concentric layers, the inner gel like Nucleus Pulposus and outer Fibrosus Annulus. As a result of advancing age, the nucleus looses fluid, volume and resiliency and the entire disc structures become more susceptible to trauma and compression .Because of injury to disc or period of time, it may lead to annular tear (outer layer of disc) and it cause inflammatory changes which may produce pain. In aging process, disc degeneration can be seen, but it does not cause so much pain.

What are the symptoms?

If disc degeneration is in lumbar disc, there is a midline back pain, buttock pain and back or thigh pain or lower limb pain, if it impinges the nerve root.

The pain even increase with mild activities like bending forward, lifting weights, coughing.

How it is diagnosed ?

Through history and examinations

By doing MRI lumbar spine over CT scan and X-ray

What is treatment ?

For mild to moderate pain we advice interventional pain procedure.

• Caudal epidural injection
• Neucleoplasty
• Disc decompression
• RF ablation of gray rami communicants

What would be surgical option for disc degeneration with disc prolapse?

• Treatment varies from patient to patient. Your doctor will guide you, which treatment is best for you.
• Open surgical techniques are available for severe pain. It may be discectomy or fusion
• Dynamic stabilisation
• Laminectomies
• TLIFS
• Disc replacement
• Endoscopic fusion
• These are open / minimal invasive surgeries to be done under general anesthesia.