Yes, degenerative disc disease (DDD) can absolutely make you tired, leading to fatigue and exhaustion, because your body works harder to stabilize the spine, manage constant inflammation, and deal with pain signals, all of which drain energy and disrupt sleep. Chronic pain, muscle spasms, and nerve irritation from DDD force muscles to work overtime and interrupt rest, causing significant tiredness.
While symptoms vary, they generally include pain along the cervical spine, neck, lumbar spine, or lower back. The pain often radiates throughout the arms, buttocks, and extremities. Fatigue can increase with prolonged periods of sitting, standing or walking.
Common symptoms of this condition include:
Glucosamine and Chondroitin: These supplements are renowned for their ability to support joint health and may finding relief for individuals suffering from degenerative disc disease. Glucosamine aids in cartilage repair, while chondroitin helps maintain water content within discs, promoting cushioning and flexibility.
Degenerative Disc Disease Symptoms
Increased pain when sitting, as discs experience three times more pressure compared to standing. Pain that worsens with bending, lifting, or twisting. Pain relief when walking, running, or changing positions. Episodes of severe discomfort that come and go, lasting days or months.
If diagnostic tests indicate that changes in the discs cause vertebrae to move out of place or put pressure on nearby nerves, doctors may recommend surgery, which can include a minimally invasive approach. Physical therapy, acupuncture, and medication may relieve discomfort caused by degenerative disc disease.
How fast does degenerative disk disease progress? Spinal disk degeneration may start gradually or appear suddenly but will typically progress over the next 20 to 30 years. After it gets to a point of severe and, at times, disabling pain, the spine will eventually restabilize and the pain from the disk will decrease.
Degenerative disc disease can happen in any spinal disc, but it's most common in your cervical spine (neck) and lumbar spine (lower back). Once a disc starts breaking down, there's no treatment that will reverse the damage.
Foods rich in calcium, vitamin D, magnesium, vitamin K, iron, vitamin C and more are all great for your spine. Here's why: Calcium: This mineral helps keep your bones, including your spine, strong.
Degenerative disc disease is a major cause of back pain worldwide. Nutritional deficiencies, such as in vitamin D and calcium, can impact spinal health. Understanding the link between nutrient deficiency and degenerative disc disease is critical for prevention and treatment.
A CT scan may be able to better demonstrate osteophytes as well as endplate sclerosis and vacuum disc sign, all related to findings of degenerative disc disease [4]. A CT scan is performed in a non-weight-bearing position and is of limited use to assess any dynamic instability in the lumbar spine.
Both inflammation and micro-motion instability can cause lower back or neck muscle spasms. The muscle spasm is the body's attempt to stabilize the spine. Muscle tension and spasms can be quite painful, and are thought to cause the flare-ups of intense pain associated with degenerative disc disease.
Degenerative disc disease usually affects people who are over 30 or 40 years old. As a person ages, the intervertebral discs lose flexibility and, with it, their ability to act as shock absorbers.
There are a number of reasons why you might feel tired if you have lower back pain. It could be the constant energy drain from dealing with the pain all the time, not being able to sleep well because of the pain, or other accommodations and stressors that come with having persistent pain.
An overgrowth of bone spurs associated with the arthritis can also produce narrowing of the spinal canal, resulting in spinal stenosis, causing pain, numbness and weakness in the legs due to compression of the neural elements.
Cardiovascular exercise such as brisk walking or moderate running improves blood flow, promotes the health of your discs—the shock absorbers of your spine—and strengthens all the muscles that support your spine.
Certain spinal positions support a “fight-flight” state, where fear and anger drive our nervous system to protect us, while others are linked to peace, ease, healing, and relaxation – a “rest, reproduce, and digest” state.
In conclusion, collagen type II exhibited protective effects in suppressing NP cell degeneration through its anticatabolic, proanabolic and antiapoptotic effects, suggesting that it may be a promising therapeutic agent for the prevention and treatment of DDD.
Dr. Sanjay Gupta discusses how supplements can be used to help manage different types of pain. For instance, magnesium acts as a natural calcium blocker. It may help alleviate lower back pain, while turmeric is known for its anti-inflammatory properties and can aid recovery after an injury.
Corticosteroids are powerful anti-inflammatory medications, which reduce inflammation around nerves and the spinal cord. An epidural injection is especially helpful if degenerative disc disease results in a herniated disc or if bone growths develop and press painfully on nerve roots or the spinal cord.
Moderate exercises like walking or swimming can keep you flexible and aid in healing. Adding light stretching and strengthening exercises to your routine can help support your spine and reduce stress on the affected disc. Eating a healthy diet and taking certain supplements can also support the healing process.
If back or neck pain caused by degenerative disc disease doesn't respond to medication or therapeutic injections, NYU Langone doctors may recommend a surgical procedure. Surgeons may remove some or all of a damaged disc, take pressure off a pinched nerve, or eliminate movement between the bones of the spine.
Spinal osteoarthritis primarily involves the facet joints, which are the joints located at the back of the spine where the vertebrae connect. In contrast, degenerative disc disease primarily affects the intervertebral discs, which are the soft cushions between the vertebrae.
Signs and Symptoms of Degenerative Disc Disease
Some common signs and symptoms include: Persistent pain in the neck or back. Stiffness or soreness in the affected area. Radiating pain into the arms or legs (if the affected discs are in the cervical or lumbar spine)
With the correct back brace, you'll be able to go about your daily life enjoying increased support and stability while experiencing less pain from your condition. A back brace may also be used to limit bending and twisting motions that can increase damage from DDD.