DDD at age 18

[hoyt]

I am 18 years old and I was just diagnosed with degenerative disk disease (lowest disk in my spine either L4 or L5) . I have had a lot of pain over the last few months that probably came from playing football. Before I found out that i have DDD i took ibuprofen daily, to the point that it no longer worked.

I was prescribed lodine (didnt help). then I was diagnosed and given a prescription for voltran. (lodine and voltran are both anti-inflamitories, neither helped at all)

I am now taking 10 mg of cyclobenzaprine (generic for flexerin, a muscle relaxer) 3 times daily and the pain is about 90% better.

my doctor said that the pain should leave me alone, without any medication once my prescription runs out. I won't be playing any more football but I havnt in a while and when I dont take my medicine the back pain returns.

He said that my back would feel perfectly normal and then maybe bother me occasionally in the long run, but Its not getting any better between the physical therapy and flexerin, a temporary relief.

Does anyone here with DDD have a similar experience? does the pain ever stop or is it persistant? I'm less concerned with now...I'm just afraid that i'll have cronic back pain by age 30 or 40. thanks, any comments would be greatly appreciated.

[crbloch]

Hey hoyt, the dr. I have just diagnosed me with DDD and I'm only 7 years older then you. I've had 2 discectomies and my butt and leg hurt most of the day. I wanted to pass on a website for you that might help you. Here it is http://www.drbookspan.com/DiscArticle.html. I hope this helps you out. I'm trying to follow this everyday. Also a TENS unit might help with your pain. If a dr. says you need surgery try to avoid it. Once you have surgery on your back it sometimes gets the ball rolling. You start with one, then another, etc.

[hoyt]

Thanks for sending me that article crblotch, I think it might help a lot. But I do have one more question.

Does anyone know if a degenerate disk (a disk with little to no fluid in it) can ever rejuvinate? I was told by my doctor that this is a permenant problem, but another doctor I saw said it may rejuvinate. I have heard both sides and don't konw who to believe. thanks

[carol632]

A dessicated (dried out)disc will not regenerate on its own. Once it is dried out, it stays that way.

Carol

[shoeshoppingal]

Hi--
I was diagnosed with DDD at the age of 22. I am now 25 and recovering from an L5 tliF (a minimally invasive fusion). Ask the doc to give you a TENS unit and physical therapy. Typically, if the pain is going to go away, it will do it in the span of about 8-10 months after the pain starts. Unfortunatly, no the disk will never regenerate itself--that is the part that sucks about this whole thing. I certainly hope that your pain goes away--avoid having surgery if you can--recovery is a long and difficult process.