What is lumbar degenerative disc disease?

Lumbar degenerative disc disease is a condition in which the wear and tear across a disc space leads to collapse of a disc space. This loss of height of the disc space puts increased pressure on the ends of the bones of the vertebral bodies. The disc height loss also leads to decreasedspace for the nerve roots to exit the spinal canal. Overall, the patient feels back pain from disc degeneration and leg pain from the nerve root compression. Patients can find some pain improvement with anti-inflammatory medications and physical therapy. Sometimes injections can be helpful. If initial non-operative management is not enough to decrease pain and help get the patient back to his or her regular activities, then surgical intervention is recommended. The recommended surgery is usually a minimally invasive lumbar fusion of the affected level.