i havnt be diagnosed with DDD, but am showing all the symptoms... im only 17, and dont know what to do. ive talked to my dad multiple times about seeing a doctor, but we have health insurance and money problems. im not asking for a diagnosis on here, just saying...

i tried things like stretching my neck which i read is suppose to help, but it only relieves the pain while im stretching it, and it gets worse afterwards. Tylenol or any other medications like that dont do anything, at all. ive had a messed up neck for about 5 or so years now, but the burning didnt start till last month, and ive only been having tingling for a few months... if its not DDD, then idk what it would be. this is all i could find about what i could have...

Hello,
I copied your post from the Chronic pain forum over to here for more input.

Can you describe the symptoms you are having?

Do you do a lot of texting or computer, gaming?
Any whiplash, sports injuries, falls etc?
- any symptoms in hands or fingers?

If neck soreness & tightness is the main problem I suggest looking at your posture when you are doing these activities.

leaning , slouching, head forward, shoulder hunched, forward?
the weight of the head forward throws the whole body off eventually, but first it can cause strain the neck & upper back muscles.

Have you talked to your parents about seeing a chiropractor? You are a little young for DDD, but I'm not saying that it's impossible. Most likely you've got a herniated disc or you injured your neck. Have you been in any car accidents? Do you workout with weights? It's easy to hurt your neck with weights if you're not doing them correctly, and the pain takes a very long time to go away.

Do you have any symptoms that go down into your hands or arms? Usually a pinched nerve will radiate to the extremities.

I'm sorry you're feeling pain. Some physiotherapy and chiropractic session may be all you need. You can do some simple stretches from a physiotherapist to find some relief, and watch your posture while on the computer and video games. If you can't see a physiotherapist you can look up the exercises online.

Good luck with your diagnosis.
Cathie

HI Marie, first and all, don't panic, you are very young and you won't be stuck with your pain forever. If you cannot afford a doctor or a chiropractor, get on a computer and order on amazon a book call : "treat your own neck" by robin MC kensie, and see if your mom or dad or a friend can supervize (at first) the recommanded exercises. ( so you are doing them the right way) it cost about 11 dollars, and also you can downloaded with kindle on amazon, and can have it on a desk top in two minute.
This should really be a big help, and you would have to do the exercises everyday. Usually pain is from lack of motion, and bad posture. we are stuck in a bad posture and our muscle get tight and we can't get out of it without stretching them back to the proper position
the best would be to see a physical therapist but if you can't afford it, then that book will do the trick.
hope this help. :Heart::Heart: virginie

Hi StatiaMarie ~ DDD is just the drying out of the discs. So when the discs dry out, the kind of "flatten" or "squish" down, and that causes them to bulge out and sometimes they herniate. When they herniate, they can push on nerves, and that's where the pain comes in.

Everyone has DDD to a certain extent. It's just some of us get it earlier than others and some of us have pain with it. There are millions of people in the world walking around with DDD and herniated discs and they don't even know it because they don't have pain with it. A herniated disc doesn't ALWAYS cause pain.

Before anyone could diagnose you, you would need an MRI with and without contrast material. That would show the doctor exactly what's going on in there. X-rays wouldn't help because they don't show the soft tissue like the discs.

I would be extremely careful about doing exercises without talking to your doctor because you could be doing yourself more harm. If you do have bad discs and/or pinched nerves, you could make matters worse by exercising -- your doctor would be able to tell you what is the best exercise to do. But again, I wouldn't do any on my own without first asking your doc. Best of luck and God bless. Please keep us posted on your progress! Hugs, Lee ;)