What is degenerative disc disease?
Degenerative disc disease is part of the natural process of aging. It may also be due to structural damage. Intervertebral discs lose their flexibility, elasticity, and shock absorbing characteristics, ligaments that surround the disc become brittle and the disc starts to dry out and shrink.
How do members experience degenerative disc disease?
Top 5 symptoms reported by people with degenerative disc disease*
*Reports may be affected by other conditions and/or medication side effects. We ask about general symptoms (anxious mood, depressed mood, fatigue, pain, and stress) regardless of condition.
Top treatments taken by people for degenerative disc disease*
*Data from patients with degenerative disc disease, who have ever reported treatments, ordered by their reporting frequency during the last 5 years.
Compare treatments taken by people with degenerative disc disease*
*Data from patients with degenerative disc disease, who have ever reported treatments, ordered by their reporting frequency during the last 5 years.
Who has degenerative disc disease on PatientsLikeMe?
| Age | Proportion | # of patients |
|---|---|---|
| <20 | 1 | |
| 20s | 45 | |
| 30s | 328 | |
| 40s | 1,240 | |
| 50s | 2,342 | |
| 60s | 2,137 | |
| 70+ | 770 |
Distribution of sex
| Sex | Proportion | # of patients |
|---|---|---|
| Male | 827 | |
| Female | 5,974 |