Disc degeneration is a cause of back pain that can strike earlier than you might think.
Most adults in their 20's and 30's already have disc wear that would show up on an MRI, although, for most, it causes no pain or dysfunction.
Researchers are beginning to realize that it's not so rare for teens to have disc herniations, sometimes causing back pain.
There are different kinds and causes of disc degeneration in adolescents.
The following two should be considered if your child has back pain, particularly when accompanied by nerve pain into the buttocks and legs.
Juvenile Disc Disorder This condition, abbreviated JDD, is present when several discs, generally in the lumbar spine, are wearing in younger patients.
One cause believed to be associated with JDD is a problem with the formation of the vertebral endplates, which contact the spinal discs; this problem allows the disc material to herniate into the vertebrae.
Spine-Health explains that spinal fusion, one of the more popular forms of back surgery, is not recommended as a treatment method for JDD because fusing multiple segments of the normally mobile lumbar spine may lead to more harm than good by altering spinal mechanics.
Physical therapy is a much better option.
The site also suggests that general activity limitation may not be necessary, but that a job requiring hard manual labor should be avoided.
Other Causes Disc degeneration in young people isn't always the result of a systemic problem like JDD.
Like adults, young people can damage discs through a traumatic injury, for example.
For an idea of how prevalent disc degeneration in the young is, we can refer to the study at http://www.
thespinejournalonline.
com/article/S1529-9430(06)00174-4/abstract.
Researchers assessed the patient records of 1,877 young people under 21 who were sent to a spine specialist for back pain; they found that 76 patients without an identified spinal abnormality such as scoliosis showed signs of disc degeneration.
That's roughly 4% of the study population.
One significant risk factor for early disc degeneration is being overweight.
Overweight and obese children are believed to exhibit higher rates of disc wear, more severe wear and higher pain intensity levels.
Maintaining a healthy weight is a crucial part of preventing chronic pain and a host of fatal diseases.
See more on a study into the connection between disc degeneration in the young and weight at http://www.
ncbi.
nlm.
nih.
gov/pubmed/21471420.
Disc degeneration is not the most likely cause of back pain in children and young adults, but it's good to be aware that it is a possible cause.
Whether degeneration is caused by a disorder in the spine or another source such as weight, treatment will likely involve conservative measures that emphasize strengthening the back and adopting healthy lifestyle habits.
Most adults in their 20's and 30's already have disc wear that would show up on an MRI, although, for most, it causes no pain or dysfunction.
Researchers are beginning to realize that it's not so rare for teens to have disc herniations, sometimes causing back pain.
There are different kinds and causes of disc degeneration in adolescents.
The following two should be considered if your child has back pain, particularly when accompanied by nerve pain into the buttocks and legs.
Juvenile Disc Disorder This condition, abbreviated JDD, is present when several discs, generally in the lumbar spine, are wearing in younger patients.
One cause believed to be associated with JDD is a problem with the formation of the vertebral endplates, which contact the spinal discs; this problem allows the disc material to herniate into the vertebrae.
Spine-Health explains that spinal fusion, one of the more popular forms of back surgery, is not recommended as a treatment method for JDD because fusing multiple segments of the normally mobile lumbar spine may lead to more harm than good by altering spinal mechanics.
Physical therapy is a much better option.
The site also suggests that general activity limitation may not be necessary, but that a job requiring hard manual labor should be avoided.
Other Causes Disc degeneration in young people isn't always the result of a systemic problem like JDD.
Like adults, young people can damage discs through a traumatic injury, for example.
For an idea of how prevalent disc degeneration in the young is, we can refer to the study at http://www.
thespinejournalonline.
com/article/S1529-9430(06)00174-4/abstract.
Researchers assessed the patient records of 1,877 young people under 21 who were sent to a spine specialist for back pain; they found that 76 patients without an identified spinal abnormality such as scoliosis showed signs of disc degeneration.
That's roughly 4% of the study population.
One significant risk factor for early disc degeneration is being overweight.
Overweight and obese children are believed to exhibit higher rates of disc wear, more severe wear and higher pain intensity levels.
Maintaining a healthy weight is a crucial part of preventing chronic pain and a host of fatal diseases.
See more on a study into the connection between disc degeneration in the young and weight at http://www.
ncbi.
nlm.
nih.
gov/pubmed/21471420.
Disc degeneration is not the most likely cause of back pain in children and young adults, but it's good to be aware that it is a possible cause.
Whether degeneration is caused by a disorder in the spine or another source such as weight, treatment will likely involve conservative measures that emphasize strengthening the back and adopting healthy lifestyle habits.
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