Degenerative Disk Disease

 

I am seeing an abundance of clients walking in degenerative disc disease. According to what I have found on the topic, it is a term for the natural changes of our spinal discs as we grow older. It seems to have a more noticeable effect on the cervical and lumbar vertebrae (www.webmd.com) and is, of course, painful more often than not.

A couple of notes about this: This is not, strictly speaking, a disease but is an umbrella term for a multitude of damage and pain associated with a disc. Also, not everyone gets the symptoms that are associated with DDD.  According to Cedars-Sinai, those symptoms include:

• Pain that is worse when sitting. While seated, the discs of the lower back have three times more load on them than when standing.
• Pain that gets worse when bending, lifting or twisting
• Feeling better while walking or even running than while sitting or standing for long periods of time
• Feeling better changing positions often or lying down
• Periods of severe pain that come and go. These last from a few days to a few months before getting better. They can range from nagging pain to severe, disabling pain.
• Pain can affect the low back, buttocks and thighs or the neck, depending on where the affected disc is, radiating to the arms and hands
• Numbness and tingling in the extremities
• Weakness in the leg muscles or foot drop may be a sign that there is damage to the nerve root 

(Obviously, as massage therapists, it is not within our scope of practice to diagnose. I present the symptoms only to get a grasp of what the client may be going through. I feel that an understanding of the symptoms allows for a better, more focused treatment plan that will best benefit the client. I also believe that understanding symptoms allows for sympathy. Our clients don't often have the benefit of working with health professionals that do more than just "handle them". Now then, back to the topic at hand... )

I would like to take a close look at the word "degenerative". This word does not mean that back pain will get worse with time. It refers solely to the condition of the disc. A spinal disk does not repair it's own damage because there is very little blood supply in this area and that prevents healing. However, over time, the spine may stabilize the area around the damaged disk, thereby easing the pain. (Spine Health)

There are a lot of claims as to what massage can do for DDD but the only two that are agreed on across the board are the increase of blood to the area that is in pain (reduces muscle stiffness and increases range of motion ) and an increase of endorphins ( the body's natural pain killers). Those two factors alone are powerful reasons for massage to be part of a self-care plan for people suffering with DDD.

For further reading on DDD and a number of other common client complaints, massagetherapyreference.com is a wonderful website that covers every facet of how massage applies.