What Causes Low Back Pain From Degenerative Discs?

Back pain that is caused by degenerative discs is very common.  But, its causes are poorly understood.  For years, doctors observed that people with degenerative discs may have back pain and they may not.

On MRI, some people can have really bad looking degenerative discs and have no pain at all. Another person can have just a small disc problem and have excruciating pain.  And, of course, there are all kinds of situations in between.

These findings led to many different theories about the origins of low back pain. And, of course, many different treatments.

A study done in 2005 has done quite a bit to answer the question; “What causes a painful degenerative disc ?”

The scientists dissected discs from patients who had degenerative painful discs, degenerative non-painful discs and healthy discs.  They found that the painful degenerative discs had small tears in them and the tears were inflamed.  Non-painful degenerative discs were not inflamed and didn’t have the tears.

The tears in the disc are slow to heal because the disc is under stress (tensile stress).  The stress doesn’t allow the disc to heal.  It’s the same as when you cut yourself badly.  You need to have stitches in order for the ends of the wound to be held together with no stress. Then, the cut can heal.  Like any damaged tissue, the disc needs to be stress-free in order to heal.

So, how do you get rid of the pain ? Controlling inflammation and taking stress off the disc are keys to getting rid of low back pain.  This means, don’t use heating pads, don’t eat foods that increase inflammation and get your spine re-aligned to take pressure off the injured disc.  If you do these things, the disc heals itself and the pain goes away.

To find out more about how I treat painful degenerative discs, log on to www.NewBackPainReliefInfo.com and get a copy of our free report.  Or call Jennifer at 262-251-8306 and set up a free no obligation for treatment consultation.

References:

The Pathogenesis of discogenic low back pain., Journal of Bone and Joint Surgery-British Volume, January 2005, Vol. 87-B, Issue 1, 62-67.