Dr Jessica Shellock Talks About Degenerative Disc Disease

Spine Talk

Read the full article at www.texasback.com/blog New Research: An Imaging Biomarker Could Change Treatment of Degenerative Disc Disease There is promising news for millions of patients who suffer from lower back pain and disability caused by degenerative disc disease. Researchers in Hong Kong recently published their findings in the medical journal Spine. They found a novel imaging biomarker that seems to correlate to degenerative disc disease and lower back pain. While the researchers noted that much more investigation is necessary before this imaging protocol is used for diagnosing this painful condition, it has the potential of allowing spine surgeons to gain more insights without being forced to use more invasive testing. As a spine surgeon at Texas Back Institute (https://texasback.com/about-us/), Dr. Jessica Shellock (https://texasback.com/find-a-physician/name/jessica-shellock/) has diagnosed and treated hundreds of cases of degenerative disc disease and her insights about the condition sheds some light on the potential benefits of this research. What is Degenerative Disc Disease? Between each bony vertebral body is a disc (https://texasback.com/conditions/herniated-disc/) that acts as a shock absorber and a hinge. With aging, the disc becomes dehydrated, making it less supportive and more prone to injury. Even a healthy, well-hydrated disc can be injured. The disc is composed of the annulus, which is a tough tissue that makes up the outside of the disc and the nucleus pulposus, which is the jelly-like substance in the center of the disc. What causes these discs to degenerate? "Degenerative changes within a disc are physiologic," Dr. Shellock said. "This means that as our discs age, certain processes occur, including pathologic changes... Read the full article at www.texasback.com/blog