Most people have heard about Degenerative Disc Disease, but few people (actually, very few people), know anything about it. That’s not surprising. Unless you or someone close to you has suffered from the effects of this painful and debilitating illness, the words mean very little.
And yet, you should care more about Degenerative Disc Disease. In fact, you should want to know as much as you can about it and how it can impact your life. The truth is that, as you get older, you become much more vulnerable to – and much more likely to be affected by – a troubling and very painful Degenerative Disc Disease.
What you need to know is that Degenerative Disc Disease is really just a condition that develops to the discs in your spine as you begin to age … they start to wear down and “deteriorate” as the direct result of your aging and other factors. For many people, this “wear and tear” is thought to be normal. It can also be painful.
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The “Disease” usually manifests itself with the onset of pain, either in the back (generally the lower part of the back) or in the neck. That pain can, over time, become excruciating.
There are a number of “variations” to the disease. The standard or basic form of the disease is known simply as Degenerative Disc Disease. As mentioned earlier, it results in pain to the lower back or to the neck, sometimes bearable, often severe. There is another form of this illness known as a Herniated Disc. In this manifestation, one or more of your spinal discs bulge abnormally or even break open. The pain can be enormous, extremely debilitating and may require surgery as a
Ehlers Danlos Syndrome Ehlers-Danlos syndrome (EDS) is a rare inherited group of connective tissue disorders characterized by defects of the major structural protein in the body (collagen). Collagen is a tough fibrous protein that plays an essential role in binding, holding together, strengthening, and providing elasticity to bodily cells and tissues. There are six major types of EDS that I will discuss, however I will only go into a detailed discussion on two of the six types of EDS. The two major types of EDS are Classical EDS and Hypermobile EDS. These two types make up 90% of all EDS cases.
Physiological Basis of disease: DMD is the commonest and most serious form of the dystrophies. The gene responsible for dystrophin which, when absent, causes DMD. Amount of dystrophin correlates with the severity of the disease (i.e., the less dystrophin present, the more severe the phenotype). Since the gene is on the X chromosome, it primarily affects males, and females who are carriers have milder symptoms ( www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/ency/article/000705.htm).
Osgood-Schlatter Disease or syndrome (OSD) is an irritation of the patellar ligament at the tibial tuberosity (Dhar). Osgood-Schlatter Disease is claimed by some to not actually be a disease (Sims). But is rather a collection of symptoms that involves the tibial tubercle epiphysis (Sims). Osgood-Schlatter Disease affects as many as 1 in 5 adolescent athletes (Diseases and Conditions: Osgood-Schlatter Disease). Some other common names for this disease are Osteochondrosis, Tibial Aponphysitis, Tibial Tubercle Apophyseal Traction Injury, Morbus Osgood- Schlatter, and Rugby Knee (Dhar). “This can cause multiple sub-acute avulsion fractures along with inflammation of the tendon, leading to excess bone growth in the tuberosity and producing a visible lump which can be very painful when hit (Dhar). Activities such as kneeling may irritate the tendon further (Dhar).”
Rheumatoid arthritis is a chronic inflammatory and an autoimmune disease that occurs when the immune system mistakenly attacks the body’s tissue (Rheumatoid arthritis, 2017). This disease affects the entire body, which is called a systemic (means entire body) disease. Arthritis is derived from the word part arthr-, which means “joint,” and -itis, which means “inflammation,” so altogether it means “inflammation of the joints.” It creates inflammation that causes the tissue that lines the inside of joints (synovium) to thicken. About 1.5 million people in the U.S. are affected. It affects all races, but it affects three times as many women than men (What is Rheumatoid Arthritis, n.d.). Overtime, rheumatoid arthritis causes painful swelling that can potentially result in bone erosion or joint deformity, which leads up to physical disabilities. RA can affect more than just your joints, but can spread to body systems, skin, eyes, lungs, heart, blood vessels, e.t.c (Rheumatoid arthritis, 2017).
1. James suffers from a condition called Duchenne muscular dystrophy. Explain the full meaning of this name.
Muscular dystrophy is a complex disease that has been around for many years. Although it was discovered in the 1830s there is constant discoveries about the disorder. (“New knowledge about Muscular dystrophy,” 2014 May 5) There are several research studies being done around the world to help find a cure. Here’s to hoping that a cure will be found and no more lives will be taken by this debilitating disease (“Muscular Dystrophy: Hope through Research,” 16 April 2014)
In older people, the meniscus grows weaker with age. The tissue that makes up the meniscus becomes degenerative and much easier to tear. Meniscal injuries in older people occur as a result of a fairly minor injury, even from the up and down motion of squatting. Degenerative tears of the meniscus are commonly seen as a part of the overall condition of osteoarthritis of the knee in the older population. In many cases, there is no one associated injury to the knee that leads to meniscal tears (Sutton, 1999).
Rheumatoid Arthritis is when the joints are chronically inflamed, which happens because it is an autoimmune disease which means that the immune system attacks the body tissues. Although Rheumatoid Arthritis mainly affects the joints, it can also affect other organs.
Herniate discs are very common and become more common with age. However, not all herniated discs will cause symptoms. Research shows that 30% of 20-year-old’s have disc herniation with no back pain as well as 84% of 80-year
Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy, also known as DMD, is the most common form of muscular dystrophy. Muscular dystrophy is a condition that is inherited, and it is when muscles slowly become more and more weak and wasted. Duchenne muscular dystrophy is a form of muscular dystrophy that is very rapid and is most commonly found in boys. In muscle, there is a protein named dystrophin. Dystrophin is encoded by the DMD gene. When boys have Duchenne muscular dystrophy, they do not produce enough dystrophin in their muscles. This causes weakness in their muscles. Parents can tell if their child has duchenne muscular dystrophy by looking for various symptoms.
Tests after tests including MRI’s, X-rays, and experimental procedures were performed to show I had five ruptured disks in the lower lumbar section of my back. Tedious Examination done by a group of doctors concluded I had a crippling disease of the spinal column called spinal stenosis. Spinal stenosis is a narrowing of the spinal canal that causes compression of the spinal cord. (Lohr,1) If this disease was ignored any longer, it would lead to many other problems affecting other areas of my back to help support this weakness. It was an extremely rare case for an athlete my age.
There is suggested evidence that a number of anatomical structures such as, bones, intervertebral discs, muscles, ligaments, joints and neural structures cause back pain (Hoy, Brooks, Blyth & Buchbinder, 2010). Degenerative Disc Disease (DDD) is a condition that is believed to cause chronic back pain (Weiner & Nordin, 2010). It occurs when there is an extrusion of disc material into the surrounding tissue (Weiner & Nordin, 2010). It is also suggested that abnormal stress of the ligaments, muscles and mechanoreceptors contribute to back pain (Weiner & Nordin, 2010). The main cause of chronic back pain has not been identified, but there are many suggested issues that are believed to contribute to chronic back pain.
Scoliosis is a progressive disease. In its early stages a mild rotation and rib deformity is detected. As it progresses more vertebrae rotate, causing the ribs to crowd together on one side of the chest and to spread apart on the opposite side. The disease is usually first identified in persons 10 to 17 years old. Most cases occur in girls and become apparent during the rapid growth phase of puberty. Conditions also include shoulder unleveling, waistline discrepancies, acute headaches, shortness of breath, rib hump, chronic fatigue, and mood swings.
As our aging population increases, so will the number of people who develop dementia. This condition is distressing for everyone involved, including the patient, family, and caregiver. As research continues, there is hope for a better quality of life for those affected. It is important to increase awareness, encourage prevention, and to be aware of the early signs and symptoms. Each case of dementia presents itself differently, so it is important to know there are different types of dementia along with slightly different signs and symptoms. The sooner dementia can be recognized and intervened, the greater the outcome for the patient.
I believe people should be aware of risk factors associated with disease as well as how the disease is diagnosed. Those who are identified as potential risk should know strategies to combat this illness of the skeletal system. Good nutrition, proper exercise, and avoidance of alcohol, nicotine, and caffeine can help reduce the potential of developing this disabling disease process. Women who are postmenopausal and men over age 50 should request a BMD test to identify the disease in the early stages. I believe with proper education people will be more aware of this disease process and can begin to plan for ways to prevent injuries by adjusting their