degenerative disc disease

[JMB1]

I went to the doctor for a shoulder related injury which ended up being a pinched nerve.

The nurse called me to talk about the x-rays and told me I had "degenerative disc disease" and explained it was basically "wear and tear".
I read about it, and thought it sounds like
mileage accumulating from years of heavy lifting.
It seems like the medical establishment is
calling what's probably just normal aging a "disease" What do ya'll think?

 

[avoge320]

I actually deal with this at work quite often - in a legal perspective rather than a medical one. The nurse is correct it is basically wear and tear on your body. Essentially we are all susceptible to 'degenerative disc disease.' it's a degenerative condition which has been or can be accelerated as a result of trauma or in your case, hitting weight. It's a pretty common injury for people over 40 who have been in a car accident.

 

[JMB1]

Thanks for the info.

 

[stevenmd]

I was told I had this at age 25 when I went to the Dr. after being hit by a runaway Jeep. For years it would take me a good 30 minutes just to get out of bed. I couldn't lift anything over 25 pounds. Life sucked balls. Horrible sciatic pain came with it. Then I started lifting and haven't looked back since. The pain came back for about 6 months when I was going thru the tail end of a bad marriage, gained a bunch of weight and quit working out. Separated from the wifey and hit the gym like an animal and haven't looked back.