Degenerative Disc Disease Clinical Trial
About the Disease
Degenerative Disc Disease is relatively common and usually affects older people because it is caused by the effects of aging on the spine. Degenerative Disc Disease is a gradual wear and tear process on the spine which causes the intervertebral discs to become stiff and rigid, causing pain and other symptoms. The symptoms can range from mild to severe, and the condition doesn't always require treatment.
Tests to confirm the disease are limited to x-ray, MRI, or CT Scan. No predictive tests to establish the likelihood of the progression of Degenerative Disc Disease are currently available. Development of a prognostic test will complement new minimally invasive surgical procedures for Degenerative Disc Disease.
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What is Degenerative Disc Disease?
To best understand Degenerative Disc Disease, it helps to understand the anatomy of your back. Your back, or spine, is made up of many parts. Your backbone, also called your vertebral column, provides support and protection. It consists of 25 vertebrae (bones). There are discs, the source of the pain in Degenerative Disc Disease, between each of the vertebra that act like pads or shock absorbers. Each disc is made up of a tire-like outer band called the annulus fibrosus and a gel-like inner substance called the nucleus pulposus. Together, the vertebrae and the discs provide a protective tunnel (the spinal canal) to house the spinal cord and spinal nerves. These nerves run down the center of the vertebrae and exit to various parts of the body.
Your back also has muscles, ligaments, tendons, and blood vessels. Muscles are strands of tissues that act as the source of power for movement. Ligaments are the strong, flexible bands of fibrous tissue that link the bones together, and tendons connect muscles to bones and discs. Blood vessels provide nourishment. These parts all work together to help you move about, and it is the same parts that can cause pain in Degenerative Disc Disease.
Degenerative Disc Disease weakens the spine, which can ultimately lead to a herniated (bulging) disc or a ruptured disc. When this happens, the soft nucleus pulposus escapes, either on one side or both sides, through a tear in the annulus fibrosus. This bulge may compress a nerve. The amount of pain associated with a herniated disc rupture often depends upon the amount of material that breaks through the annulus fibrosus—and whether it compresses a nerve or not. Any of these conditions can cause inflammation and pain in Degenerative Disc Disease.
What diagnostic tests and therapeutics are available for Degenerative Disc Disease?
Call your spine specialist if you have back pain that persists or is sudden. The physician will try to locate the source of your pain and develop a treatment plan that will help to address the Degenerative Disc Disease pain symptoms in order to help to speed your recovery.
Your doctor will ask you questions about your current symptoms and any remedies you have already tried.
- When did the lower back pain start?
- What activities have you recently done?
- What have you done for your lower back pain?
- Does the pain radiate or travel to other parts of your body?
- Does anything lessen the back pain or make it worse?
Your spine specialist will also do physical and neurological exams. In the physical exam, The physician will observe your posture, range of motion, and physical condition. Movement that causes pain will be noted. Your physician will feel your spine, note its curvature and alignment, and feel for muscle spasms. A check of your shoulder area is also in order. During the neurological exam, your doctor will test your reflexes, muscle strength, other nerve changes, and pain spread.
Your spine specialist may also order some tests to help diagnose Degenerative Disc Disease, and you may need to visit an imaging center for these tests. An x-ray can show narrowed disc space, fractures, bone spurs, or arthritis, which might indicate Degenerative Disc Disease. A computerized axial tomography scan (a CT or CAT scan) or a magnetic resonance imaging test (an MRI) can show bulging discs and herniations. If the doctor suspects nerve damage, they may order a special test called an electromyography (an EMG) to measure how quickly your nerves respond.
A Degenerative Disc Disease diagnosis can require additional tests, such as:
Discogram or discography: A sterile procedure in which dye is injected into one of your vertebral discs and viewed under special conditions (fluoroscopy). The goal is to pinpoint which disc(s) may be causing you pain.
Bone scan: A technique used to create computer or film images of bones. A very small amount of radioactive material is injected into a blood vessel and then travels through the blood stream. It collects in your bones and can be detected by a scanner. The purpose is to help doctors detect spinal problems such as arthritis, a fracture, or infection.
Lab tests: A procedure where blood is drawn (venipuncture) and tested to determine if the blood cells are normal or abnormal. Chemical changes in the blood may indicate a metabolic disorder (medical condition).
How will genetic research help?
We have established a core team of physicians and scientists as well as state-of-the-art gene analysis technologies to identify the dysfunctional genes that may cause Degenerative Disc Disease. With insights made possible through genetic discoveries, Axial Biotech is dedicated to finding the underlying causes and biological pathways of Degenerative Disc Disease. Through genetic research we hope to determine the molecular cause for the disease and to develop diagnostic and prognostic tests for improved Degenerative Disc Disease treatment.
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