Has anyone had success in stopping or reversing degener disk disease?

Wish I had answers for you but a really good physical therapists is priceless. Look up Esther Gokhale. Watch her videos and if she offers a class near you get in it!

@adladow Hello and welcome to Connect. I am a spine surgery patient and had a C5/C6 fusion. I am careful now to work on any issues that cause muscle spasms that can move vertebrae. I also have thoracic outlet syndrome that makes one side of my neck too tight and I try to work that out with stretching so it doesn't affect my neck. Maintaining good posture and alignment and building core strength is key to maintain spine health. Bad posture will just add pressure to spinal discs. My spine surgeon told me the best way NOT to need his services again is maintain good core strength. What helps me do that is trail riding my horse and we go just at a walk. Also just walking is good for the spine and health in general. I have heard that what we think of as spine degeneration really isn't a disease, it is aging and a natural drying out of the discs. They shrink over time and get thinner. If there are injuries to the discs, as they dry out, the sides of the disc can weaken if there have been small cracks due to injuries. I agree that a good physical therapist helps a lot, and mine does myofascial release which releases a lot of tension in muscles that exert pressure. It helps keep everything moving as it should.

How do you guys find doctors that are willing to work with you and do procedures or guide you on how to fix your problem? I have been to multiple chiropractors that say my neck is destroyed. It was not prior to my Covid vaccine two years ago. I cannot be upright hardly at all without severe pressure in my brain and neck and shoulders. The chiropractor say that I have CCI. But the neurosurgeons in spine doctors I’ll say that my neck is fine. I can’t keep my shoulders down. They are constantly and tension state, my head shakes when I try to move it. I can no longer work or entertain my family or friends. I can’t even spend time with my grandkids hardly because I can’t do anything. All I do is sit in my house and cry, and I know that’s not helping but I feel like my life is over. The pain and pressure are so severe but I was instructed by my last doctor that I’m not allowed to say those 2P words anymore and I need to get a more positive outlook. I have to hold my head with my hand, but she said I’m not to do that anymore because that’s not necessary. It is necessary otherwise my head shakes . I feel hopeless because I have been to five or six spine and Nuro doctors and surgeons and they all have said I’m fine. The only ones that say I have a major problem are the chiropractors and stem cell doctors that do not take insurance and my family does not believe they are true because of all the main doctor saying that I’m fine. I also have Lyme disease , but some doctors say my Lyme is not active so it’s not that causing my issues. I have been sick since one hour after my Covid vaccine but since January of this year this neck and head stuff is unbearable and it feels like it’s debilitating me.

Never give in to the pain. We have to keep fighting…I take 90 ml of duloxetine morning’s for the symptoms you describe along with physical therapy 3 or 4 days a week. Western medicine works better if we do the cognitive and physical work daily 👍

PS most insurance companies will pay for a licensed physical therapist. Be happy that the surgeons you’ve seen don’t want to cut! Try some yoga 🧘

@adladow You may be interested in this research being done at Mayo in Jacksonville, FL with regenerative medicine to treat spine problems.
https://regenerativemedicineblog.mayoclinic.org/2021/06/17/could-regenerative-medicine-relieve-neck-back-pain/

Thank you!!! Did you get diagnosed with cci? I’m trying to figure out if I need a special physical therapist but this is so hard. I’m in so much pain and miserable.

I’m 69 and manage my pain all day everyday. My spirits raise 20 minutes after I take the smallest dose of Oxycodone. I take Tylenol every morning and stopped taking Celebrex and the maximum dose of Gabapentin because it wasn’t helping. I’ve been prescribed a dozen different antidepressants for 43 years and now my neurologist wants to change it again. 😱
Mayo Clinic’s Neurology department just turned me down because they can’t do anything more.
Your doctor should refer you to PT and the type you need. 🙏

Hope you’re having a better day. I have a similar degenerative disc disease in the lumbar spine and also degenerative joint disease complicated with Fibromyalgia.
Have been coping with it for 15 years. I’ve been studying and practicing yoga for 25 years so that I can be active. It teaches you to listen to your body…When I noticed that I was having more pain and unable able to do most of my practice, I gave in to minimally invasive surgery to remove a cist and cage L4 and L5. It was. It’s been 4 1/2 months (12 month recovery) I feel for you 💕

Have you or anyone else heard of Disc Centers of America. We went to one last December. The chiropractor didn't like the MRI that my local hospital took, so he sent me for a CT scan. (I can't have an MRI due to an adapter on my replaced spinal cord stimulator). He showed us my CT scan and pointed out all kinds of disc problems...bulging, herniated, and whatever else was wrong. None of this was ever revealed on any MRI. He really gave orthopedic surgeons a walloping. He told us with his "special" spinal decompression machine along with certain supplements, that he could have me back to be totally or almost pain free. But, treatments were not covered by medicare. All out of pocket. 30 treatment plus supplements were normally $9600, but the special price was $6900. All up front (payments could be made through a finance company that he was affiliated with,
So, again, anyone out there have any experience with this outfit? I opted out because, as it is often said, "If it sounds too good to be true, ...".