Degenerative Disk Disease
The neck is a delicate structure that is vulnerable to degenerative disc disease as you get older. The wear and tear of the bones and joints secondary to aging can crack or dry out the fibrous disk between the backbones. This condition is referred to as a degenerative disk disease.
If a person lives long enough, he or she will experience some degeneration of the spinal disc. Around 35 percent of people show some amount of disc degeneration by the time they reach 35. More than eight out of every ten men at age 60 experience signs of degeneration.
Disc degeneration doesn’t cause pain in the earlier stages. But when it does cause pain, it can bring other problems as well, such as herniation or bulging of your back’s discs. In some cases, it can cause bone spurs as well. Symptoms may include numbness and weakness in the arms and legs. It can also put pressure on your spine, which can cause you to lose bladder and bowel control. Pain from disc degeneration tends to be worse when you stand or sit upright or move your head.