Their are several treatments JDD, i.e. Medications, Physical Therapy specifically to strengthen your Core, Massage, a TENS Unit, and seeing a Chiropractor. It is very rare for an Ortho/Spine Dr. to do Surgery on someone your age with JDD. Because the degeneration typically occurs in multiple discs, generally a multi-level fusion would be needed. Multi-level fusions are best avoided, as fusing multiple levels of the spine is an extensive surgery and changes the natural bio-mechanics of the spine—which can in and of itself lead to more pain.

If a disc herniation is compressing a nerve root, then surgery might be advised. This type of surgery is called a microdiscectomy. Its not as invasive as a full fusion surgery and can relive pain without changing the bio-mechanics of the spine.

Some Pain Management Docs also do targeted drug delivery, a.k.a. Epidural Steroid injections. But once again it depends on how bad the JDD is and if they think you're at a point to need them. And honestly only about 1 in 4 patients get relief from injections, so it's a try it and see kind of thing. You can also only get a set number of injections per year as they can cause more damage than they help if overdone.

If your Ortho is at a point where he can't help you any longer then its probably time to see a Pain Management Doc. I doubt another Ortho is going to tell you anything different. Doing a multiple disc fusion on a 19 yr old is a major deal and can end up making your pain worse. It's not something their going to risk until your discs are so deteriorated they don't have any choice.

You might also see a Chiropractor, they deal with JDD and DDD alot. You might also get with a PT and start doing the exercises to build up your Core strength, which will alleviate some of the lower back pain.

I hope you find some answers in your search for the right treatment.

Take Care.

What the drs will and can do, often depends on how severe the condition is. It seems like your drs don't believe that your back issues are severe enough to require treatment at this time.

Thank you olderCPer, I appreciate your input and I understand there are a lot of risks to many treatments for my condition. And I do think that exercise is the preferable treatment option. The reason I am so frustrated is because I saw the orthopedic surgeon who diagnosed me once and all he said is the I should "exercise" he didn't tell me much about my condition or what types of exercise I should do or if it could hurt me. I just want to know more about my condition and know what my options are. I know it is hard to understand a situation without all the information but I still appreciate all of your input!

In reply to itsjustme2012 I would like to please ask that those responding to my posts keep in mind that I am looking for support and input and would prefer not to have unnecessarily negative or non constructive comments.

Kayleigh, yeah it's not cool when they don't give you useful information. Here's a couple of suggestions. Go to your Ortho's website and see if they have a PT tab, many of them post various types of exercises you can do for back pain, neck pain, etc. If you don't find any there, you can call your Doc's office and request some PT exercises that you can do, since your Dr. recommended it. They almost always have a printed sheet of exercises that they should be able to scan and email you. If those options fail, sometimes you just have to hit google and look for yourself.

Like if you type in, laserspineinstitute.com and go to the Physical Therapy tab you'll get this list of exercises for DDD:

Physical therapy for degenerative disc disease will not only help you manage your pain, it will also improve your strength, range of motion and flexibility. Along with learning proper posture and lifting techniques, therapeutic treatments typically involve:

The use of hot and cold packs
Deep tissue massage
Spinal traction
Muscle-strengthening workouts, like yoga
Wall pushups and exercise ball stretches
No-impact or low-impact aerobic activities including swimming, walking and biking

The only one of these you couldn't do on your own would be Spinal Traction and most of the others you could do in a pool, creating a weightless environment.

Your new to the Pain Management jungle, and it's not easy always finding Dr.'s that help you the right way or give you the right information. Your number 1 Rule should always be, "You Have to be Your Own Best Advocate!" The Internet can be a very helpful tool, but also remember, if you find an exercise that doesn't seem right, or seems to hard for your pain, Do Not Do It. PT should challenge you a little, but it shouldn't hurt you.

Take care.

I have the same condition. They told me the same thing. i am 49 years old. You really need to have an MRI . your Primary doctor can get you a referral to see a Neurosurgeon and he can get you the MRI. What you have is Arthritis in your spine but it could be much worse than that which was my case. All they saw was Arthritis in my spine and neck when I was given an X-Ray and treated me like I was a hypochondriac when I would complain. Once I had the MRI it revealed I had 7 herniated discs. I had surgery and am now on pain meds

Wow! are you really only 19 years old? Degenerative disc disease is a normal part of aging but to have it at your age means something else is messed up! I would get a second opinion, for sure! In the mean time, keep moving! Do exercises where you bend your spine left to right and top to bottom if you are allowed.

I like being told the truth when I go to the doctors but being told I would have back pain for the rest of my life and I'm only 19, would make me wonder if the doctor knows anything!
Let us know what happens.

God Bless

There is really nothing they can do to "FIX" DDD. The body is slowly turning the disk into hard tissue very much like bone. When it actually replaces the disk with bone there will much less pain. That is the main reason why the appear to be ignoring you.

I had it before your age. It is very painful. But it does get better as the body naturally fixes itself.

Sorry hit send too quickly. Anything any doctor would do to fix DDD, like surgery and injections will only make it much worse. The body will view any interventions like an invader and build up scar tissue on top of the natural work it is already doing.

Learn what makes the pain worse and avoid those things as much as possible.
Learn how to ease the pain with exercise, yoga, ice, heat, lying on the floor with knees bent, whatever works for you. Then use those.

First, I would ask to see a rheumatologist to make sure there is nothing else wrong that is causing you to have DDD at such a young age. My lumbar spine is pretty messed up, although I'm 63, but physical therapy has helped alot. I use Lidoderm patches when I'm doing something big, and they do help. Hot baths with Epsom salts may seem old fashioned, but it can be very helpful, and I live on heating pads. I would keep aware of what new surgeries come around, and I wouldn't give up hope. If people can get new hips, some day maybe we can get a titanium spine. I'd also make sure I have good nutrition. I take strontium to strengthen my bones. Also, you might want to look into homeopathy. I think the body can heal itself to some extent, so see what modalaties are out there. Don't give up. Now that boomers are getting older there will be an epidemic in back problems, but that means more attention, and perhaps more creative thinking.

I'm sorry to hear of your frustrations - I can relate. My best advice is mayo clinic or Cleveland clinic. N don't give up!

I saw Dr. Corenman at the Stedman Hawkins Clinic in Vail Colorado for my back. I believe it is now called the Stedman Clinic. I don't know where you live. I'm so sorry you are going through so much pain and frustration. Gentle hugs.

OlderCPer, Pool therapy is a great suggestion. I did aqua therapy for CRPS. It is a wonderful weightlessness. I did some range of motion exercises in the deep end of the pool using a pool noodle under my arms. I would even just "hang" in the deep end with the pool noodle under my arms. It relieved the pressure in my back. It made me feel lighter.

First off I would like to say thank you so much to everyone who commented for all of your kind words and advice. I really do appreciate the input and support. I am definitely going to look into some of the things mentioned that I have not tried already. Also I definitely want to try some more natural approaches as well as just working on my over all health because I figure it can't hurt. I am scheduled for an MRI on Monday so hopefully that will shine some light on weather there is anything that needs immediate attention or weather its more of a pain management issue. I mostly want to know if there is anything that is going to cause any problems other than the pain or if there is any nerve involvement. Also just to add a little bit about my situation that I didn't talk about. My doctors think that I probably have Marfans which they think could be contributing to the disk degeneration. So I am going to see a genetic counselor as well as working with my cardiologist to get a definitive diagnosis. Thank you again everyone for your help, I really do appreciate it. There are not many people in my life who understand what I am going though and it really helps to know I am not alone. Take care everyone!