What is Degenerative Disc Disease?

Degenerative disc disease is part of the natural process of aging. It may also be due to structural damage. Intervertebral discs lose their flexibility, elasticity, and shock absorbing characteristics, ligaments that surround the disc become brittle and the disc starts to dry out and shrink.

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What do patients take to treat Degenerative Disc Disease and its symptoms?

Commonly prescribed and frequently used treatments

Treatment name Efficacy Overall rating of side effects # of Evaluations
Physical Therapy (PT)
(Recumbent Stepper, Outpatient PT, PRRT, Pelvic Floor Therapy)
20
Ibuprofen
(CVS Ibuprofen, Ibuprofen 5% gel, Advil Extra Strength, Ibubeta 400 Akut)
18
Naproxen OTC
(Equate Naproxen, Good Sense Naproxen Sodium, Kroger Naproxen Sodium, Members Mark Naproxen Sodium)
8

These charts show data from Degenerative Disc Disease patients' latest treatment evaluations

Who has Degenerative Disc Disease at PatientsLikeMe?

<20 20-29 30-39 40-49 50-59 60-69 70+
Current Age
Distribution of females vs. males
Gender
89% Females
11% Males
Age at first symptom
Age at first symptom # of patients Proportion
0-19 yrs 65
20-29 yrs 226
30-39 yrs 276
40-49 yrs 205
50-59 yrs 62
60-69 yrs 3
70+ yrs 0
Diagnosis status
Diagnosis status # of patients Proportion
Diagnosed 1071
Not Officially Diagnosed 10

These charts show data from Degenerative Disc Disease patients who have completed their condition history