Degenerative Disc Disease

What are the Symptoms of Degenerative Disc Disease?

Disc degeneration symptoms vary from person to person, but back or neck pain is generally one of the common symptoms. Many people with this condition have no degenerative disc disease symptoms, but others with the same amount of disc damage may have symptoms including severe activity-limiting pain.

Lumbar Disc Degeneration Symptoms

Mild Pain in the lower back that may radiate through the hips and into the legs
More intense pain when the spine is under a heavy load. Carrying heavy objects or sitting can trigger this pain.
Pain that worsens when you perform movements such as, bending, lifting, twisting, sneezing, or even coughing.

Cervical Disc Degeneration Symptoms

Stiff neck that causes mild pain and discomfort
Pain in the neck that may radiate through the shoulder and down the arm
Numbness, tingling, and weakness in the neck, shoulder, and arm if a nerve is pinched

Along with localized pain, degenerative disc disease symptoms such as pain or numbness may be felt in the extremities. As nerves and other structures surrounding the damaged disc are pressed, pain radiates along the nerve paths to our extremities.

For those with lumbar disc degeneration symptoms, pain will likely get worse while sitting because the lumbar spine is under more pressure in a seated position. Their disc degeneration symptoms may occur in the buttocks, legs, and feet. Those with cervical nerve compression may experience cervical disc degeneration symptoms in the shoulders, arms, and hands.

Confused about your symptoms?

If you think that you are showing signs of degenerative disc disease we recommend that you take a moment to fill out our where is your pain diagnostics survey. Once we receive it, one of our ASC patient advocates will be in touch with you to provide you with any help or advice that you may need.

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