degenerative disc disease

moving me forward™

Your movement may be limited, but your options don't have to be. See how other patients conquered their pain and get started on your own journey to recovery.

Mike "Coach K" Krzyzewski
Inspirational college coach and DePuy joint recipient.

watch a spine pep-talk from Coach Kread Coach K's story

now playing:

"It's not worth living with pain."

http://prod.neverst.depuy.edgesuite.net/patients/media/depuy-spine.mp4
http://prod.neverst.depuy.edgesuite.net/patients/media/depuy-spine.mp4
"It's not worth living with pain."

patient journeys: Back and Neck

Isabelle’s Journey

Isabelle’s Journey

How bracing myself for a test, lead to my brace being removed.

play video

read Coach K's story

"Hi, I'm Mike Krzyzewski, coach of Duke University's Men's Basketball team. If you could take a journey to move better, live better, why wouldn't you? I did when I had joint replacement surgery.

"I'm here to tell you that you have two opponents. Pain and lack of mobility. Pain can get you down every day. Lack of mobility can lead to decreased speed and loss of endurance. With speed and endurance loss, you don't stay competitive and you spend energy just trying to catch up. But you've got to fight your opponents to stay in the game.

"I know it isn't always easy. There was a part of me that thought of stopping, giving up coaching altogether. I would never have won two Olympic team medals and four NCAA Championships if I hadn't had my surgeries.

"Now, I don't have to overcompensate for injury and pain. I'm more active than before, I have relief from pain and I'm even quicker on my feet. People say I look better now. Do you want your life back the way it should be? You have two choices, a continued downward spiral or take action.

"So don't let the injury win. You don't need to live in pain. That's why I want to encourage you to empower yourself. Get educated, develop a personal treatment plan with your doctor, build a team of support and commit to reclaiming your life. Remember, this is a major event in your life—treat it as such. What you put into it will multiply for you at the end of the journey."
 

close

 
play video

 
Take Action

Download helpful tools to get you moving

take action

Being active again starts with the action
you take today. Get back in motion with
these useful resources.

Back and Neck

Post Surgery

This document will help you learn more about care and rehabilitation immediately after surgery:

Click Here

Surgical After Care

Learn about after care for spinal surgery including

  • what to expect the first few days following surgery
  • what the various medical staff will be looking for in your progress
  • what considerations will be made with your diet, medication, and activities
  • what special instructions should be considered

Click Here

Rehabilitation

Learn about spinal rehabilitation including

  • what happens on your first visit to a physical therapist
  • what treatments are used to control pain and symptoms
  • how exercise helps you recover
  • how therapy can train you to do your activities safely

Click Here

overview

Everything we do while being upright tests the spine‘s ability to support our body‘s weight. The spine is made up of vertebraevertebraeThe individual bones of the spine are the vertebrae. These are the building blocks of the spinal column. The v... separated by discs that act as shock absorbers to help keep the spine flexible. Without the cushion effect of the discs, the spine‘s vertebrae would not be able to absorb stresses or provide the movement needed to bend and twist.

 

Minor injuries to a disc may occur and not cause painpainAn unpleasant sensation associated with actual or potential tissue damage, and mediated by specific nerve fibe... at the time of injury. These repeated daily stresses can add up over time and begin to adversely affect the disc. In addition, smoking and genetics can add to this overall degenerative effect. Eventually, the disc suffers from this wear and tear. It begins to collapse and the vertebrae compress. The gradual deterioration and narrowing of the disc is called degenerative disc diseasedegenerative disc diseaseGradual or rapid deterioration of the chemical composition and physical properties of the disc space. and can cause local pain and discomfort in the neck, mid or lower back. This is a fairly common condition and may start to affect people in their 20s and 30s.

understanding back and neck anatomy

learn more

lumbar (lower back) fusion

To view the animation click here

cervical spine (neck) fusion

To view the animation click here

minimally invasive tlif

To view the animation click here

mis lateral fusion

To view the animation click here
May 15 2012 - 19:17:49