Degenerative Disc Disease

[hlthe2b]

1. At some point nothing short of surgery may help but some options may help or even

obviate the need at least for now. The Germans and many other countries in Europe really delay IVD surgery (unless loss of nerve function is occurring), and expect patients to exhaust nonsurgical options. The US is far less conservative and if you read the literature, that does not necessarily give us better outcomes. So nonsurgical adjunct therapies are a reasonable option to explore.

Among those are needle acupuncture and electroacupuncture (needles with a small directed electric charge similar to a TENS UNIT that extends the effects and is highly recommended for more chronic conditions). Physical therapy and obviously NSAIDs/muscle relaxants can help. Ultrasound (sound wave) and therapeutic laser therapy are other options with of course, cold/heat therapy as more immediate relief. Because strong core muscles can greatly help take stress off the spine, BUT ONLY WITH THE OVERSIGHT and APPROVAL of your health care specialist, Pilates-- from an instructor specially trained in dealing with it as therapy and not merely preventive exercise-- may be an option.

I would discuss these with both your orthopedic surgeon/neurosurgeon AND your physical therapist (if you have one, as the latter will offer some good insights and referral options)