Sunday 2 October 2016

Symptoms of lumbar degenerative disc disease

There are many people across the globe who suffers from lumbar degenerative disc disease. Initial pain and discomfort is often ignored, causing further problems. Most patients who  suffer from this problem will experience low-grade continuous, however tolerable pain that might occasionally intensify for some days. Symptoms usually vary from patient to patient, however, some general characteristics include:

  •          Pain in the lower back that is continuous and has lasted for more than six weeks
  •          Pain, that usually centers on lower back, though it can radiate to the legs and hips.
  •          Pain which worsen upon sitting as the disc experiences heavier load in comparison to when patients are lying down, walking or sitting. As a matter of fact, prolonged standing might also increase the pain, just like lifting an object or forwarding.
  •          Patients often describe the sensation as more of a painful ache in the back, contrary to burning or searing pain which radiates.
  •          Some of the severe symptoms can include tingling as well as numbness in the legs along with difficulty in walking
  •         In case the disc collapses enough the exiting nerve root at a specific level might get pinched, also known as foraminal stenosis, this can cause leg pain from nerve root more pinching.
  •         Pain which is exacerbated by some movements, specifically lifting, twisting or bending.

Pain or giving out symptoms from minimal motions might happen as and when the disc becomes weaker.  Along with pain in lower back, triggering from degenerative disc disease, there might be tingling, numbness or leg pain. Even if there is no pressure on the nerve root, other structures in the back can cause pain in the legs and down the rear.


In the last few years, an increasing number of people have complained of back and neck pain. Spondylolisthesis also triggers pain in the neck. Consulting a specialist surgeon like Dr. Erik Bendiks could help you get timely spondylolisthesis treatment alleviating pain and discomfort.