I was diagnosed with it 30 years ago, and I didn't do anything then to help myself. Kept the job that had me working on my feet for55-70 hours a week. Let myself get fat and out of shape. Then, some 15 years ago, I cratered. Spine fell apart like a card house.

Now I've got herniated and ruptured discs on at least 8 levels in my cervical and lumbar spine. They haven't scanned the thoracic spine yet, but I can tell 'em they'll find at least two more there. And I've got arthritis throughout my spine now, with associated bone spurs impinging the nerve roots.

Can't feel my feet. Can barely walk, and have to have a cane to do it at all. Legs take spells where theydecide they just don't want to work. Pretty darn uncomfortable.... If slamming your finger in a car door can be termed 'uncomfortabe,' because that's pretty much the constant pain level I'm talking about.[:-]The best spine surgeons in Dallas can't do anything for me and refuse to operate. They say the surgery I need is so extensive that I'd not stand a chance of surviving it. SO....

A few words of advice.... Take the meds the doctor prescribes. Do any therapy he sends you to. LOSE WEIGHT! Work up an exercise plan that concentrates on strengthening all the muscles in your body's trunk, special emphasis on your abs. You must also do exercises that increase your flexibility and range of motion. I'vefound taking glucosamine and chondroitin very helpful.

I've done all the above except losing the weight, and it's killing me. Kinda hard to exercise when you've got it as bad as I do and diet alone just doesn't cut it.I did manage to walk the entire range at our club shoot yesterday, and that wasa huge accomplishment for me -Especially when the doctors all told me 15 years ago that I'd never walk again. (LIARS![8D]) But I was in serious pain afterward.

I hope and prayyou jump on it NOW and don't let it get as bad as I did.

All the best of luck. I just want to know why they say we are in the golden years. It seems like once ya hit 40 things start going to sh**.
I was in the navy 23 years and took very good care of myself and I have plenty of problems, I feel bad for the folks my age and never took care of themselvs. Mike

You have my complete sympathy for your condition.........wouldn't wish it on my worst enemy.

However, it is not a "disease"........in the traditional sense of the term. It's not something you "catch" or your body attacking itself in a autoimmune fashion. There is no pathogen that is behind the problem.

The problem is more mechanical then physiological. The spine is very dynamic and every single segment is responsible for a certain amount of motion on many levels (bend, twist, rotate or a combo of all). When that motion becomes restricted through anything from simple wear and tear all the way to the most severe trauma it has no choice but to try and adapt to maintain it's dynamic function. This means the segments that are not "stuck" begin to move more to compensate for the ones that are moving less. This chain of events puts stress and pressure on areas of the spine that were not intended to handle such a workload. Bone spurs begin to develope as the body lays down more bone in an atempt to strengthen the weak joints (eventually they will fuse together) and the disc material starts to wear down like a tire on a poorly aligned car. With the outer layer of the discs being a VERY tough fibrous layer of tissue and the center being a viscous "jelly" like substance it is only a matter of time before the fibers start to weaken or micro-tear and the center material which is under pressure constantly causes a bulge or rupture.

Unfortunately many people are unaware that proper spinal biomechanics are extrememly important in dealing with DDD.......they focus on the symptoms of DDD instead of the cause behind it. I don't care how many times you change the tires on a car........if the alignment is off they will just keep wearing out.

Pain management should be an adjunct to treatment........and not primary care as it does nothing to improve your condition.

Best of luck to both of you guys.

i hate to say this but that is the reason why my dad cant hunt with me any more. hell he cant do much of anything. i hope you pull through it man. just be strong and dont give up. just do whatever the doc's say that way you have a fighting chance. i going to try to get my old man to be my camera man know. atleast he will be there.

Arthur and Atlas are offering some good words of wisdom. I agree with both of them.

I'm no doctor, but I work in a Personal Injury law firm, and a lot of our clients' injuries have disc/vertebral involvement. So, unfortunately, I've learned more than I ever cared to know about C,T, & L spine injuries.

Atlas is right - if you'd take random cervical, thoracic and lumbarMRI's of healthy 40-somethings, you'd find that a pretty high percentage of those individuals are suffering from some degree of disc degeneration. Again, these are healthy, asymptomatic individuals.

What you'll need to do is take your doctor's advice very seriously. Think of your degenerative condition as an "eggshell case" that requires you to be more careful from this point forward. Take off the weight, work on your posture, see a chiropractor periodically, if your symptoms manifest.Like Atlas said,learn which discs are affected, and what types of activities can trigger an exacerbation.

This isn't a death sentence. Think of yourself as lucky, because mostindividuals don't find out about their degeneration untilthey've already suffered a herniation/severe bulge/fragmented disc, and the downward spiral hasalready begun.

Arthur's right -shedding the weight will help you out immensely. It reduces the load on each disc, and that increases the disc space, and can even helpwith disc hydration.

Spinal health is a one-way street. We all start out with a clean slate, a healthy spine, and over time, everyone's spine continues to degenerate at some level or another throughout that individual's life. The question is, what goes first? Your back? Your mind? Your heart? etc... In your case, you're now on notice that you're now a likely candidate for a back injury. Don't get down on yourself, do something about it. Lose weight, avoid heavy lifting, use proper lifting techniques, work on straightening your posture, avoid repetitive bending/twisting, stay away from grueling physical activity, hang up the football spikes, put the skis away for good, etc. In other words, take it easy, live long and prosper.

Ask your doctor about bow hunting, he might recommend lowering your draw weights, avoiding climbing tree steps, dragging deer, etc. Being hard-headed could cost you big time, so heed your doctor's warnings. One bad move can trigger a serious injury that will have ripple effects throughout your spine.

Sure, we're telling you that a lot of people have spinal degeneration, and that it won't necessarily keep you out of the woods, per se. BUT, you've gotta be careful and put your health first. If you don't, your hunting days could be numbered. Some of these guys have lived it, and the symptoms can be debilitating, so don't take this lightly.

My payer's are with you I hope this dose'nt hinder your hunting.

My wife has it in 3 of her lumbar discs , you have our sympathies . Take it as easy on your back as you can to slow the progress .

I'll tell ya what man, I know the outlook may not be good and a lot of the info these guys on here have posted may have got you down but it's the truth and it's best for you to know. Just know we'll all be praying for you and all the rest of the guys on here that have this problem. Try to keep your head up and your outlook good. Learn everything you can about it, and talk to many different doctors and see if there's anything you can do to help you out. I'm hoping the best for you man. You as well as all the other guys on here are in my prayers and in many of our prayers. Try to keep that head up, think positive. I can't say how terrible I feel for ya. I hope you can beat it and stay on your feet. Enjoy the outdoors while you can and hopefully you can continue to do it in the future. You'll be in our thoughts as you continue to fight it. Best of luck to ya. Remember keep that head up. If you need any support, post it up on here, we'll try to help lift your spirits. Best of luck to ya. Keep us posted.

Tim

Things may be looking up for people with disk problems. Recently, new devices for disk replacement have been approved by the FDA and in the future if you were to need surgery, there may be much improved procedures and devices available to maintain function and mobility.

Joe,
Holly and I are sorry to hear that. We wish you the best of luck!