The term degeneration in medicine means deterioration or decline of function of a cell, tissue or an organ with time, usually as a person ages.
Osteoarthritis, osteoporosis, atherosclerosis and Alzheimer disease are well known examples.
Degenerative conditions occur in everyone as everybody will age without fail (i.e. "natural" degeneration) often after age of 40-50 but some degenerative conditions can occur at younger age (i.e. "acquired") after an injury (accident or overuse), an infection, or after inheriting a hereditary disease (e.g. ankylosing spondylitis of the spine).
In short, degenerative spine conditions (known as "spondylosis") are normal natural aging of your spine as you age.
Don't believe ? Take a look at your spine X-ray or CT/MRI reports (if any) - I am sure you will find the term "spondylosis" in all your reports although majority of your spine may currently not be having any pain now. Spondylosis is a "natural" process not a disease unless it is "acquired" as mentioned earlier above.
Symptoms of spondylosis are similar to osteoarthritis of other joints in our body :
1) episodic aching pain - In the beginning while changing posture (e.g. getting up from chair or bed) also known as "start-up" pain, better after movement. Later may worsen to pain during prolonged posture (e.g. while running, walking, climbing stairs, sitting, standing) better after stopping activity / changing posture.
2) episodic stiffness with similar scenarios as above
3) episodic swelling not of the spine but of surrounding spinal muscles as they contract into spasm in response to the pain
Diagnoses of these can usually be confirmed with just X-rays.
However unlike other joints in our body, our spine contains spinal nerves travelling from our brain down to our hands and feet. Any spondylotic conditions worsening beyond its spinal facet joints or intervertebral discs can encroach into these nerves within the spine causing :
1) "radiculopathy" symptoms of radiating nerve pain, numbness, weakness along the distribution of the nerves in your arms or legs, usually on one side right or left, if the nerve roots branching out of the spinal cord are encroached or "pinched", but more seriously…
2) "myelopathy" symptoms of numbness and weakness of your hands or feet (e.g. clumsy fingers, unsteady gait) usually on both sides right and left, even rarely paralysis after a minor injury or manipulation of the spine (e.g. after a fall), if the spinal cord within the spine (usually the neck) is compressed.
Unfortunately, diagnoses of these can only be confirmed by MRI scan.
