Although degenerative disc is a relatively common occurrence that comes with age and trauma to the discs, causing degeneration and loss of integrity, there is another concern that you need to worry about, which is lumbar degenerative disc disease nerve damage.
Lumbar degenerative disc disease is easily capable of becoming the reason for the occurrence of chronic pain in the lower back region or the lumbar region of the spine. The reason why this happens is because when a disc becomes weakened as a result of injury or aging, the result is an excessive level of micro motion in the corresponding vertebra simply because the disc is no longer capable of holding that segment of the vertebra together in the way that it once did.
The resulting level of micro motion, when combined with inflammatory proteins that are inside the disc becoming exposed and going on to irritate the local area, is capable of creating significant lower back pain. lumbar degenerative disc disease nerve damage is also capable of occurring, which basically describes that as a result of the degenerative disc or the resulting micro-movement, a nerve has become damaged through trapping or pinching. While some nerve damage is reversible, some is not.
There has long since been some confusion regarding the “degenerative” term, because it makes some people believe that the condition is going to worsen over time, but this is not actually true. Although there is a likelihood that the disc degeneration is going to progress, the pain that typically results from this disc generation does not typically worsen but rather will much more likely improve over time instead. The degree of pain that is experienced with degenerative disc disease, especially when lumbar degenerative disc disease nerve damage is present, is definitely going to be capable of fluctuating, to the point where it can become quite painful. Discs do not receive a blood supply so they are incapable of healing themselves in the same way that muscles and other parts of the body can.
What this means is that the pain associated with degenerative disc is capable of becoming chronic, especially when nerve damage is involved. A disc that is fully degenerated is not going to be capable of having any inflammatory proteins and therefore it will likely collapse into a stable position. Many people beyond the age of 60 experience degenerated discs but it is actually quite uncommon for them to be experiencing any pain from the condition.
When lumbar degenerative disc disease nerve damage occurs, on the other hand, what it means that the movement of the degenerated disc has allowed for a nerve in the back to become pinched. When a pinched or trapped nerve does not remedy itself, it can become damaged, causing chronic or long term pain as well as a number of other symptoms. Some of the common symptoms associated with the lumbar degenerative disc disease nerve damage include numbness and tingling in the legs in addition to the pain in the back, and a worsening in the pain or the numbness during certain activities such as bending, or twisting or lifting.