Are there any non-invasive treatments for degenerative disc disease? i want to avoid surgery as long as i can. is there anything non-invasive that can give me relief from my degenerative disc disease?

Degenerative : Degenerative disk disease is an anatomical finding on imaging studies. It is most commonly found in the neck and in the back, when physicians ignore medical evidence and order studies like MRI scans and ct scans to evaluate patients' complaints of chronic pain in those areas. After the anatomic finding is found, the words "degenerative disc disease" are often used to account for the pain. The word invasive is pretty broad, and usually includes any treatment that involves something sharp. Most people consider surgery to be invasive. Some people consider steroid injections to be invasive. By the same standard, acupuncture should be "invasive", but most people don't think of it as such. Assuming that we are talking about chronic low back pain, the best available evidence seems to agree that surgery (typically spinal fusion) for low back pain isn't impressively more effective than nonsurgical approaches. There are many non-invasive treatments for chronic low back pain that are supported (with varying degrees of strength and certainty) by the scientific method. The best evidence supports remaining active and limiting bed rest. Lesser-quality evidence supports: -- not recommending to patients the use of special mattresses or lumbar supports. -- not recommending to patients things like laser therapy, ultrasound, traction, or tens. -- avoiding use of benzodiazepines, skeletal muscle relaxants, antiepileptic drugs, or narcotics. -- short courses of nsaids or acetaminophen. -- assessing and treating depression, which is common in patients with chronic low back pain. -- supervised exercise therapy. -- acupunture, yoga, spinal manipulation, massage therapy, or cognitive behavioral therapy.

Treatments : Treatments include: non-invasive - rest, activity modification, physical therapy, chiropractor, weight loss, medication minimally invasive - steroid injections, endoscopic spine surgery treating facet joints and disks (endoscopic rhizotomy and endoscopic discectomy), pain stimulators and pain pumps, weight loss procedures invasive - traditional lumbar discectomy, laminectomy and spinal fusion. Please see my health guides on endoscopic rhizotomy and discectomy.

Pain: First & foremost - your treating neurosurgeon or orthopedic spine specialist will give you info about surgery & it's necessity. Although acupuncture will not correct degenerated discs - it can improve inflammation & pain of the surrounding tissues. It will do this by removing obstructions in blood flow, lymphatic drainage, nerve conduction & flow of chi.