Hi again Dixe,
I was told by my Neuro that it is inherited.Whats everyone else been told?

Unfortunately DDD is hereditary. :o( That's how I ended up with mine. My Mom has it as well. When mine first started, it was misdiagnosed as sciatica, since I was having pain down my right leg and into my hip; but the pain became so terrible in my lower back that I couldn't even stand up straight or walk. You should really see a spinal specialist and allow them to do some xrays and and mri.

I would sometimes hurt my back and be unable to move for about a week at a time. Eventually this was happening more and more so I finally sought help. It is hereditary. My mother had it at my age. But the strange thing is hers seemed to have gone away. The doctor said that is because in some people the bones may actually fuse together on their own.

I found out by having my muscles spasm so bad my hips and shoulders were three inches off line. I would step and fall.

On my first MRI I was told I was already inoperable. Genetics were to blame.

It took five years but the doctor was wrong about the inoperable part.

Ouch

i didn't realize mine was called ddd until a nurse reading my chart said something about it... thinking back, it was little spasms in my back, or waking up crooked like a little kid pushing their belly way out pretending to be pregnant only I wasn't standing like that on purpose.

Get an MRI. If the docs are jerks about it, get another doc. I've butted heads with many docs, cuz they tend to not take me seriously do to my age.

Starts with severe pain and sciatica even when nothing shows on x-ray. I actually used to get a bruise on the lower part of my back, did anyone else get this?

All I know is that I can't do anything! without my lower back absolutely killing me!it kinda feels like my lower back can't support my body. Sitting down it is barealbe. Laying down I can eventually get into a postition that does not hurt. Its the worst in my lower back but by the end of the day the pain is in my mid back also. My dad had DDD. I went to a chiropracter and the x-rays showed one hip bone smaller than the other. My lower spine turned slightly to the right and the bones in my neck slightly to the right. But i dond't think the chiropractor ex-rays are very good do you? And Adjustments made me worse. I have made an apt. for Mon. We shall see. I know the first thing they will say is "oh you have a bladder infection or kidney ifection' G! For 2 years!! I don't think so. Anyway, thanks everyone for your responses.

I have had DDD for 12 years and it was only 2 years ago that I managed to get someone to refer me to a specialist and get an MRI. Which, funnily enough, showed there's not much left at all of four of my lumbar discs.
Luckily the guy I saw is suggested I may be eligible for a thing called intra discal electrothermal therapy (IDET) where they basically melt your disc back into the shape it was supposed to be in in the first place leavin scar tissue to harden and stablilise it.
I was in and out of hospital in a day, had a corset (very sexy!) for 10 weeks and now, 12 months later I'm just a bit sore when I get up in the morning as opposed to rolling around in agony and crawling to the bathroom for more pain kiilers.
Some disc pain will get better by itself but DDD is a real drain on everything you do. I'm by no means better but I'm a lot better than I was.
Mum has DDD too and was in a back brace for 6 months when she was 21. Something she only revealed to me a couple of weeks ago!
ASk to see a specialist. Demand to be put on an MRI waiting list and ask about IDET too. It's worth a try!

p.s. An x ray won't show any disc generation.

I have many disk that are affected with DDD one is completly gone and that is my L5, however the Doctors still won't do any surgery due to my age, they have said there is a new treatment where they can put in a artificial disk in my back. The surgery is very dangerous for men though because the way that they have to do it requires them to go through the stomach and there are nerves to mr happy there and if they even nick them mr happy will never be happy again.

hi dixie... i was told it is hereditary also.. i know of one of my aunts having it and i am sure some others also...
u r right though have ddd along with the fibro is a very hard thing i have pain after being up for just a few mins... hugs

Most of my adult I have had some kind of back pain. Only within the last 5 years has it become quite severe. My first symptoms was a pain originating in the hip area, and it slowly began to make its way down my leg. At this point I could only take a few steps and rest because the pain was so horribly bad. It got to the point I could not walk but a few steps. thanks to surgery I can now walk. Without the surgery I know I would be in a wheelchair today!!!!! I hope you see a doctor. Take care!

Hi Dixie, fancy meeting you here, lol! I am sorry to hear you are having these kinds of problems. Back pain is no laughing matter that's for sure. I heard pretty much the same thing that DDD can be genetic. I had surgery in 90 and 92 and was told that one of my degenerated disks was actually congenital and the others were "acquired" (lucky me).

Xrays don't show enough for this type of problem unless the degeneration is so severe that bones are resting on top of each other (ouch). It's best to see an orthopedic surgeon and one who specialized in backs. They will do an MRI.

I was 32 when I had my surgery and the specialist who did my surgery explained that (at least at that time) they always take a conservative approach to working on someone's spine - that may be why a number of us post that they were delayed in getting treatment. I had had severed chronic pain for 5 years and had tried other things first - like epidural steroid injections. Otherwise, he would not have operated right away.

I know there are a lot of new treatments available now, but it is still important that you get in to see someone about this now so you can get some relief.

If there is anything I can do for you honey, just let me know...I'm here for you...hugs jilly

yes I am told you can inherit it....You can have a mri of the back to see if you got DDD...hugs