With degenerated discs, your ability to move will decrease. This may cause muscles to get tight and painful. Because of the decreased water content, degenerative disc disease causes the discs to decrease in height and cause pinching and rubbing on structures in the area. Some of these structures are bones, ligaments, nerves, blood vessels, and muscles. The pinching and rubbing of these structures can cause pain in the neck or back, which can spread into your shoulder, in between your shoulder blades, or into your hips and legs.
There is no cure for degenerative disc disease; therefore you have to learn
how to live with the disease.
You do not want to stop your everyday activities and you do not want pain to
run your life. A physical therapist can teach you how to decrease your pain,
how to decrease your chance of developing more pain, positions to avoid, and
ways to compensate for movements that are lost.