Causes Of Degenerative Disc Disease In Young Men

What Is It?

Degenerative disc disease is actually a form of arthritis in the back. It causes low back pain, which is the reason for about 23 percent of school absenteeism. While other things cause low back pain, like emotional stress, degenerative disc disease as the cause of low back and leg pain is more frequent in children than once believed. It occurs when the water and protein content of the disc changes and the disc gets thinner and therefore more fragile. Another name for degenerative disc disease is spondylosis. On an MRI, it shows up as a narrowing of the space between the discs. It normally begins earlier in men than women.

Genetics

A tendency toward degenerative disc disease is genetic. A study done by Yoshiharu Kawaguchi, MD, PhD, Masahiko Kanamori, MD, PhD, Hirokazu Ishihara, MD, PhD, Kazuo Ohmori, MD, PhD, Hisao Matsui, MD, PhD and Tomoatsu Kimura, MD, PhD called "The Association of Lumbar Disc Disease with Vitamin-D Receptor Gene Polymorphism" found that those with a vitamin D receptor gene of a specific form had more frequency in disc degeneration.

Smoking

If you smoke, it slows your circulation and causes the delivery of building materials to the spine to slow. There is a correlation between smoking and those with chronic low back pain. Because smoking interrupts the flow of blood to keep the discs healthy, most doctors recommend that people with low back pain or disc degeneration cease smoking.

Posture

Poor posture is one cause of degenerative disc disease in young men. Improper posture puts pressure on some of the discs unequally and causes undo stress, which results in fracture and degeneration. Both standing and sitting posture is important because each type affects different areas of discs.

Small But Frequent Trauma

One thing doctors believe causes degenerative disc disease and frequent small repeated injuries to a specific area. The injuries might not cause a large amount of pain, but after a while, creates bone spurs on the bone, which causes pain. One particular example is weightlifters. Small traumas to the spine and neck that often go unnoticed cause changes in the spine and the onset of the arthritic condition. The minor tears and abuse went unnoticed at the time, but their repeated pattern created the problem.

Fluorosis

Excess fluoride in the body causes a condition known as fluorosis. This condition causes changes in the spine and discs, which so closely resembles degenerative disc disease. Most doctors don't diagnose it as skeletal fluorosis but degenerative disc disease. The condition's cause is from the excess intake of fluoride. Usually, this condition has accompanying dental fluorosis, which causes brown mottled teeth.

Tags: degenerative disc disease, back pain, degenerative disc, disc disease, degenerative disc