The spine is an intricate structure comprised of bones, ligaments, muscles, discs, joints and more, all of which work together to allow the body to stand upright, bend and twist. Through the years, the wear and tear the spine endures can begin to take its toll, and elements of the spine can start to deteriorate. This can result in spinal degeneration, which is fairly common in individuals over the age of 50. Bulging discs, ruptured discs, spinal osteoarthritis and sciatica are just a few of the conditions that fall under the degenerative spine umbrella.

In the majority of cases, an individual experiencing spinal degeneration isn’t aware of his or her condition because symptoms don’t appear. However, more severe degeneration can result in nerve or spinal cord compression, which can lead to pain, muscle weakness, numbness and tingling, and cause the individual to seek out degenerative spine treatment.

What are my treatment options?

After diagnosis, your physician will likely suggest a variety of conservative degenerative spine treatment options to try to reduce your symptoms to a tolerable level. Possibilities include medications, physical therapy, corticosteroid injections and lifestyle changes designed to reduce the strain on your spine.

You may also want to explore alternative treatment therapies, which have helped some patients find symptom relief but haven’t been fully vetted by the medical community. Some examples include:

• Chiropractic manipulation
• Restorative yoga
• Acupuncture
• Pilates
• Massage therapy

Surgical degenerative spine treatment

If your symptoms persist or become more severe after several weeks or months of conservative and alternative treatment, you might want to consider minimally invasive surgery at USA Spine Care, which provides many advantages versus open neck or back surgery.^ To find out if you are a candidate for one of our outpatient procedures, we can provide an MRI review* for free.

Contact USA Spine Care today to learn more about surgical degenerative spine treatment.

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