With an increasing population of disease-affected people, one of the types of diseases that have quite become common nowadays is degenerative disc disease. This disease is a progressive type of condition that worsens with time. Speaking of defining this disease, then in degenerative disc disease the rubber pads present in the spine vertebrae are affected and since these pads are in the category of wear and tear in our body, with aging and time, the condition gets worse as they are more prone to get damaged very soon. This results in stiffness, back pain, and even problems with movements. Well, if you are among those people affected with degenerative disc disease, then you need to understand how you can cope with it and what are the things to avoid with degenerative disc disease. So, let’s have a look at these things.
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Things to avoid with degenerative disc disease: what not to do
Below are the things that you should avoid doing if you are among those people who have degenerative disc disease. Avoiding these things will certainly help you keep up with the condition and live a better life.
1. Avoid Sitting Still for a long time
The most common thing to avoid if you have degenerative disc disease is not to sit in a single position for a long period. When you get this condition, it becomes more important for you to keep your spine in regular movement and not be in a position for a long time. You can shift your positions or postures while working or sitting at home. When you regularly move it keeps your spine lubricated by allowing blood to flow properly. Moreover, it allows all the nutrients to be absorbed in the spine.
Also, you can find different postures in which you feel comfortable to sit or lie down that prevent the pain from occurring. You can use any kind of support behind your spine when you are sitting.
2. Avoid Unnecesary medications
It’s quite common that we all take painkillers nowadays to get relief from any kind of pain we experience. However, these over-the-counter pain medicines are only recommended for temporary relief and not for treatment or long-term relief. When you are suffering from degenerative disc disease, it’s good to avoid overuse of these painkillers, as they can have consequences as well when consumed in more quantity and they do come with certain side effects.
To get relief from pain, your doctor can provide you with injections and alternatives, which will give you relief while suffering from the disease.
3. Avoid lifting heavy things
Even if you are having bad pain in your back, it is always recommended to avoid lifting heavy things. This will make sure that you are not putting a lot of strain on your back. So, always try to get some help if you need to lift something.
4. Avoid inflammatory foods
Whenever we consume something that contains microbes with which our immune system is not familiar, it will start acting against it. During this process, inflammatory cells are sent out as they are responsible for fighting the invaders and healing our bodies. When a person has acute inflammation, it’s not a problem, however, when this turns into chronic inflammation over time, the body cannot repair any further on its own. Now, when you suffer from degenerative disc disease, it is better to keep inflammation on track and avoid things that may cause it. So, there are foods that increase this, and avoiding them is the best for you in this condition. Below is the list of foods:
- Soda drinks
- Sugar drinks
- Oily and fried foods
- Chips, crackers, snack foods
- Bacon and ham
- Red meats
- Processed food
- Refined carbohydrate foods like pasta, bread, and white rice
5. Avoid heavy exercises
When you suffer from degenerative disc disease, there are certain exercises that you can do, but there are some that you shouldn’t. Some common exercises to avoid are:
- Jumping Jacks
- Burpees
- On-spot running
- Twisting
- Lunges
So, always talk with your health provider and decide what exercises you can do and that too to what extent.
Final Words
Well, this was all about the things to avoid with degenerative disc disease. As this disease gets worse with time, it’s better to cope with it in time and do all the things that are important to provide you with a long life. The things mentioned in the blog are certainly to be taken care of and if possible avoid these things as much as you can. By making sure that you are avoiding such things, it will help you live a better life with the condition.
