Disk replacement surgery?

Question

The last disk in my back is almost completely gone. I am only 29 and my doc is talking about disk replacement. What will happen if I don't have the surgery and the disk degenerates completely? I have severe back pain all the time and would do about anything to releive the pain.. Also, is disk degeneration genetic or is it something I have done to myself. I also carried twins two years ago and the pain has significantly gotten worse since then. Could the pregnancy have caused it??

Answer 1

No it is arthritis, or degenerative disc disease, same thing, arthritis of the spine.  Have the surgery.  It is hereditary.  

Answer 2

Get a second opinion, then a third, then a fourth.  The replacement surgeries aren't all they're cracked up to be.  The results just aren't there.  Have you tried a chiropractor?  I see people on a daily basis with DDD, and it can be helped without surgery.  Even physical therapy, accupuncture, massage, yoga, and swimming get far better results than surgery.  I recently had a patient go in for a "routine" back surgery (against my advice) and came out paralyzed in his left leg.  His back pain was gone immediately, but he couldn't walk!  3 months later he is able to hold himself up with a walker thanks to the physical therapy, but the procedure was not worth it.  You'll get plenty of people telling you that surgery saved their life, but please get a second opinion.  

DDD is not hereditary, but posture is.  An old injury is usually the culprit, and it just takes time to surface.  It can take several years before the degeneration is evident on an x-ray.  If the problem was there, the weight of the pregnancy would have significantly aggravated it.  It is very unlikely that the pregnancy caused anything.  Although it would be nice to blame it on the kids!