Degenerative Disc Disease,Can it be caused by a car wreck?

Question

I was in a car wreck 2 months ago.I went to an orthopaedic dr. which said my back pain is coming from DDD. Now, I run rescue,very active in my community.Never had a problem with my back before.I looked up everything on DDD.That is something that older people get from ealier injury in life,or something that has happened to over a peirod of time.So,how can this be what is wrong with me? I wasn't having lower back pain before my wreck. So, how can he say that's what is wrong.No, there hasn't been a MRI done.He said he wanted me to go though therophy first,and if that doesn't work then we will have that done.It's severe lower back pain at times.I can't sit to long,stand,walk or anything to long. I had to take medical leave from my resuce squad,and that is killing me.I just don't see how this can be what is wrong with me,if I was fine before!Please help! Do I need a different Dr.?

Answer 1

yes

Answer 2

DDD is just normal aging. yes it does generally happen to people later in life but some people it may show up earlier due to an injury, line of work, any sports that were played when younger, ect. I would recommend seeing a doctor and getting in to have an MRI of your back. Yes, if you had an injury to your back, it may have caused DDD earlier than usual. It does not happen over night. I suffer from it due to the line of work that I had done for many years and also suffered a back injury about 5 years ago and it just started bothering me about a year ago. I had an MRI and X-Ray of my back and it showed this and degeniterive arthritis. So, for your sake, see a doctor and get that MRI done. This will show any problems with your back and will help you with any kinds of therapy or meds that you may need to help.

Answer 3

DDD is just a general term with "something's wrong with the discs in your spine" or "your going through a normal aging process" It doesn't really mean that your back is doomed to get worse or anything.

And yes, a car accident can cause damage to spinal discs...if your young and have damage to your discs the first thing a doctor will ask you is "we're you in any accidents?"

It does seem odd to me that you'd get therapy before an MRI or CT scan that can really show what's up. I would think a Physical Therapist would have better direction if he/she knew the details.

Good luck!

Answer 4

well, doctors get paid to be wrong

good luck with everything... i don't know what to do

here is something you should try though:
this procedure is for long term back pain elimination but it is also one of the most important means of immediate relief. First I will describe the pose, and then I will tell you how to become limber enough to achieve the pose.

Legs Up the Wall
Clear a spot in front of a blank wall. Lay on the floor with your legs straight up resting on the wall, hands at your sides. (How you slide into this position is up to you, there are a few ways.) Relax and pay attention to your breathing, making sure to completely fill your lungs. Scan your body for muscles that you could relax more without losing correctness of form. Feet should point forward, knees fully extended, heels reaching upwards, spine and neck straightened by and elongated on the floor. Arms at sides with fingers or palms up wall by default, but also try straight up parallel to legs, or clasped behind head on floor (good neck stretch) If legs fall asleep, pull down to chest for 10 seconds and put back up. Do not fall asleep in this pose. Do not bother with this pose if you don't intend to go at least 15 minutes. Even wearing clean socks, this pose leaves marks on my wall over time. I find that tying or belting my feet together so that I do not need to consciously keep them straight makes my own stretch more correct. You might also try tying or belting your knees together or to the wall. You want to relax as many muscles as possible. You might benefit from folded or rolled towels under your lower back.

It is fine to fidgit a little and make adjustments from time to time; scooch up closer to the wall, arch your back briefly, that sort of thing. Hold the stretch until the sensation is too intensely bad to reasonably continue. At first it will feel like nothing, and you'll wonder why I've typed all of this out. After awhile, your muscles will start to realize what's going on, and you'll get that stretching type pain. Then, after probably 15 minutes or so for a new practictioner, your back will start to feel just plain wrong, like you are damaging it by laying there. Gently roll out and lay on the floor for a minute or two, and you're done.

If you cannot reach a straight up-and-down angle, then a less than straight angle will be fine. Bend your knees or sit back further from the wall. Use towels for padding or to reduce the intensity of the stretch. Be creative in steadily approaching your goal of approximately-correct form.

Practice this stretch up to 2 times per day. Before and after sleep, or before and after a strenuous activity. Eventually you will be able to do the stretch for much longer, and will need it much less often.

Everybody is built differently, and some back problems/injuries will not allow you to use this stretch, but otherwise if you can achieve near correct form and be able to hold it for a half an hour or more, you should be largely impervious to back pain, especially lower.

I don't have your back injury so I can't tell you whether or not this stretch is right for you, but it is a very gentle stretch so as long as the pressure on your back from the floor is not harmful, you should be alright. You can always use padding, too (folded sheets, rolled towels, pillows)

best wishes to you

Answer 5

I think what everybody is saying is correct in that i have severe chronic back pain that i think was from a car wreck years ago and now that i'm older (47) it really hurts plus i just had knee suregery and i have to have a total hip replacement soon!!!!!!!!! I think it's just the cost of living a very active life and then ageing!!!!!! Trust me, i can't believe either how this all just happened when i thought i was so in shape ????????

Answer 6

Here's an answer I found on Yahoo.