What causes degenerative disk disease?

What causes degenerative disk disease?

Spinal disks wear down as a normal part of aging. Especially after age 40, most people experience some disk degeneration. However, not everyone experiences pain.

You might have pain if your spinal disks:

• Dry out: Your disks have a soft core that mostly contains water. As you get older, that core naturally loses some water. As a result, disks get thinner and don’t provide as much shock absorption as they used to.
• Tear or crack: Minor injuries can lead to small cracks in your spinal disks. These tears are often near nerves. Tears can be painful, even when they are minor. If the outer wall of your spinal disk cracks open, your disk may bulge out of place, known as a herniated disk, which may compress a spinal nerve.