Intervertebral Disc Degeneration

During a person’s lifespan, the vertebral column undergoes severe strain. The intervertebral discs lose their buffering function and their height over time, due to natural wear. In the beginning, you hardly notice this deterioration process. However, several influences, such as lack of movement, overweight, previous injuries or simply increasing age can augment wear to the point of causing disorders as a consequence. The intervertebral discs lose their vital cells; their water content is reduced, their elasticity compromised and cracks appear. These changes make up the basis for the development of further ailments, such as: Protrusion or prolapse of intervertebral disc, wear of vertebral joints (facet syndrome), spondylolisthesis or vertebral column instability.

Symptoms: The advanced degeneration of intervertebral discs manifests itself through a slight disposition for back or neck pain. Wrong mattresses, lifting heavy loads, or long sitting activities thus quickly lead to the corresponding ailments. The intensity and length increase as the wear progresses. Burden-related pain or morning ache can quickly develop into lasting pain if left untreated. With the loss of intervertebral disc height, the nerve canal becomes narrower, which can also cause pain to spread into the leg or arm, sensation of prickling or numbness.

Therapy: As in all other back problems, we aim for the best results by means of an early treatment. The problems can be relieved mostly by means of conservative therapies such as physiotherapy, manual therapy, infusions, magnetic field therapies, acupuncture or electric treatment. An effective alternative is the intervertebral disc cell transplant. In a few cases, denervation measures, minimally invasive methods or microsurgery are necessary.