DDD: Degenerative Disc Disease. It's an affliction that most often affects the discs in the lower back or neck area. Mine is in the lower back. It is neither degenerative nor a disease (so why the name?), but is when the intervertebral discs in the spine start to lose flexibility, and elasticity and get thinner. It doesn't always continue to get worse, which is why they say it is not degenerative. It is most often a function of aging (I hate when that happens!). I suspect, in my case, the hip rotation in racewalking might have helped bring this problem on.
According to what I've read, PT often can resolve DDD issues, and I'm heading there. But I'm curious to see if anybody else has had this ailment, and how they dealt with it.
Thanks,
Jay
Without ice cream there would be darkness and chaos.
I have it to some extent, and it contributed to (or was exacerbated by?) the sciatica I suffered earlier this year. Lots of flexibility and core strengthening exercises were the prescription for me. I'm only so-so good at doing them now. Typical patient, I hit it hard when I was in the acute phase but now that I've mostly recovered, I'm learning to just deal with the low-level "chronic" symptoms with only occasional adherence to my program.
(oh, my doc said the cause of my sciatica was probably 90% hereditary; my mom has suffered from it off and on for years)