Factors That Increase Risk for Degenerative Disk Disease

Disks degenerate when they become dehydrated, lose height, and the vertebrae on either side develop bony growths called osteophytes, which can cause or exacerbate lower back pain. In this study, researchers compared data concerning 160,911 degenerative disk disease (DDD) patients and 315,225 healthy controls and identified the following risk factors for the condition: tobacco use, hip/knee osteoarthritis, overweight/obesity, and diabetes. Clinical Spine Surgery, July 2018