Degenerative disc disease: Meaning in a Radiology Report

Degenerative disc disease

Also written as: disc degeneration, degenerative disc changes, DDD, discopathy

Degenerative disc disease is the gradual wear of spinal discs with age: drying out, thinning and bulging. Despite the name, it is not really a disease.

Seen on: MRI, X-ray, CT

How it reads in a report

Mild multilevel degenerative disc disease is most pronounced at L5-S1, with disc space narrowing and small endplate osteophytes.

What it means

The term covers changes most discs go through over time. They lose water, get thinner and bulge, and small cracks can form in the outer ring. The bone edges nearby may also grow spurs. On X-ray it mostly shows as a narrower gap between vertebrae. MRI also shows the drying, as darker discs. It describes wear, much like gray hair, rather than an illness in the usual sense.

When it matters

These changes are found in most adults by middle age, including many with no back pain. So the scan alone cannot show whether they cause your pain. Doctors look more closely when worn discs narrow the space for nerves in a way that fits your symptoms. Care, if needed, usually focuses on how you feel and function rather than on how the discs look.

Questions to ask your doctor

Which levels are affected, and how advanced are the changes?
Are any nerves or the spinal canal narrowed by these changes?
Is this amount of disc wear usual for someone my age?

General information, not medical advice. What a finding means for you depends on your symptoms, your history and the images themselves, so talk your results through with a doctor.