Understanding Degenerative Disc Disease
Degenerative disc disease refers to a condition that involves the degradation and degeneration of the intervertebral disc. Of all of the body's connective tissues, the intervertebral disc undergoes some of the most significant age-related changes. By the time a person reaches his or her thirties, the nucleus pulposus is already being replaced by fibrocartilage. Collagen concentration increases while protein concentrations and proteoglycan decreases. Other physiological changes occur as age-related degeneration progresses.
This degeneration, along with any possible injuries, traumas, and other internal and external factors that act on the spine, wear on the intervertebral discs.
|
