Degenerative Disc Disease Support Group
Degeneration of the intervertebral disc, which is often called "degenerative disc disease" (DDD) of the spine, DDD is in fact a condition that can be painful and can greatly affect the quality of one's life. While disc degeneration is not a normal part of aging and for most people is not a problem, for certain individuals a degenerated disc can cause severe constant...
I am 19 years old and I have had chronic back pain since I was 12 and today I was diagnosed with DDD. My doctor told me there is no treatment except for PT, and I have done PT before with no relief from my pain. Is there really no treatment? Because I find this hard to believe.
Welcome to the DDD Board! Let me say first that this Board has always had very light activity and even less now since the new, redesigned, DS was just released a couple weeks ago. Anyway, do not expect a flood of responses.
I am sorry to read that you have been diagnosed with DDD at such an early age. It is rare that someone so young to have DDD. I am almost 65 and I have had it for several years (10+), but it was just 5 years ago that someone finally figured out what was causing my problems.
As for treatment, your doctor is likely correct that there may be no cures for your specific situation. Since DDD can occur any place from the neck down to the tailbone, treatment options can vary depending on the location. Mine is basically from my shoulder all the way down; my neck is still OK.
Treatment options are very limited, but especially in the thoracic area (the entire mid-back). There are some options for the neck and the lumbar region, but again limited with the likely hood of mixed results. Surgery (fusions, etc.) used to be the "go to" option for disc problems, but I do not believe that is the case anymore since fusions may work short term, but long term, fusions usually create more problems than they fix. Laser surgery can be an option, but insurance will not pay for them since it is still considered "experimental" even though they have been doing them for years. You may want to look into laser surgery options, but be prepared for "sticker shock" and results that are mixed. I had several laser surgeries a few years ago and they probably helped, but it is really hard to tell. They may have just kept things from getting worse. Therefore, it is difficult to recommend laser surgery, but you may want to investigate it.
Other than limited surgical options, there is not really much available. I personally believe that adult stem cell transplants (stems cells harvested from the patient and re-injected into the problem areas) hold the most promise. You may want to investigate the work being preformed by Regenexx, who appear to be the leader in adult stem work. Again, no insurance coverage, but they are doing promising work. http://www.regenexx.com/
Other than these invasive ideas, there is really not much else other that PT and other non-invasive procedures that I have found to be of little value. One other thing that is worth a try is a new product called a "Quell". My wife and I have both been using Quells for at least a year now and have found it to be helpful with pain of many kinds. It is NOT a TENS even though it may sound like one by reading some of the information. If interested, checkout the link below and read the information provided, especially in the section for "Clinicians" where you will find more detailed information. https://www.quellrelief.com/ Again, no help with insurance since it is considered an OTC device. There is a prescription version made by the same company called a "SENSUS" (SP?), that works identical to the Quell, but does look as good IMO.
Pain medications are usually prescribed for DDD, but finding the most helpful one is difficult and all have serious side effects that you will want to seriously consider, especially at your young age.
I am sorry that I could not help much, but DDD is a condition that most will just have to learn to live with, or at least try to reduce its affects so that you can live as normally as possible.
Good luck and if you have any questions post them and I will try to help.
Note that I mentioned that I see a Physiatrist. If you have problems finding a pain management doctor, you may be able to find a Physiatrist (they also have many tools to deal with pain issues). Do not confuse a Physiatrist with a Psychiatrist, very different doctors, but easily confused. A Physiatrist is pronounced as "fee-a-trist" or something like that (I always get tongue tied on this title), where a Psychiatrist is pronounced with a leading "sy" if you understand and are well known. Since I am on this topic, I would also recommend that you see a Psychiatrist also since chronic pain almost always leads to depression and other mental issues. A Psychiatrist can be very helpful in many ways when dealing with chronic pain.
Anyway, IMO, you must get your pain controlled so you can more effectively research other possible solutions to your DDD. As you noted, DDD in your age group is very rare, and severe DDD is not real common for older people although most everyone by 50-60 has it, but it may not be noticeable.
Lastly, for now anyway, you may want to join the Chronic Pain Board here on DS. There are (or at least were before DS was remodeled) many folks there that deal with severe medical problems and unmanageable pain (but not DDD that I have seen). But, you will see how people manage pain and they may also have ideas as to what steps you may want to take now. I would also recommend that you at least mention what part of the country you live in (although many do not) just to help them give better guidance to what may be available in your area.
I wish I could provide better advice, but I hope you can find help soon.
https://youtu.be/_hJbIXfHUus