Diseases, Conditions, Syndromes

Q and A: What is degenerative disk disease?

I've been struggling with back stiffness and pain for a long time, but it has gotten worse in the last few years. My doctor told me that I have degenerative disk disease. What exactly does that mean? Is it common and what ...

Medical research

Researchers develop new process to differentiate stem cells

Neck and back pain are debilitating and expensive: an estimated 80 percent of adults will suffer one or both at some point during their lives, racking up $86 billion in medical costs and missed work in the United States alone. ...

Diseases, Conditions, Syndromes

Glucosamine negatively affects lumbar discs

(HealthDay)—Glucosamine supplementation, which is often used for low back pain, has a detrimental effect on lumbar disc matrix homeostasis in an animal model of disc degeneration, according to a study published in the May ...

Surgery

Disc disease severity doesn't predict surgical outcomes

(HealthDay)—Increasing severity of degenerative disc disease (DDD) does not impact outcomes in total lumbar disc replacement (TDR), according to a study published in the November issue of the European Spine Journal.