Exams and Tests for Degenerative Disc Disease

Call your spine specialist if you have back pain that persists or is sudden. During your visit, your doctor will ask you questions and perform some exams. This is to try to locate the source of the lower back pain and develop a treatment plan for you—a way to manage your back pain and other symptoms of degenerative disc disease and to help you recover.

Your doctor will ask you questions about your current symptoms and remedies you have already tried.

Typical Degenerative Disc Disease Diagnostic Questions

• When did the lower back pain start?
• What activities did you recently do?
• What have you done for your lower back pain?
• Does the pain radiate or travel to other parts of your body?
• Does anything lessen the back pain or make it worse?

Your spine specialist also will do physical and neurological exams. In the physical exam, he or she will observe your posture, range of motion, and physical condition. Movement that causes pain will be noted. Your doctor will feel your spine, note its curvature and alignment, and feel for muscle spasm. A check of your shoulder area also is in order. During the neurological exam, your doctor will test your reflexes, muscle strength, other nerve changes, and pain spread.

Your spine specialist may order some tests to help diagnose degenerative disc disease, and you may need to visit an imaging center for these tests. An x-ray can show narrowed disc space, fractures, bone spurs, or arthritis, which might indicate degenerative disc disease. A computerized axial tomography scan (a CT or CAT scan) or a magnetic resonance imaging test (an MRI) can show bulging discs and herniations. If the doctor suspects nerve damage, your doctor may order a special test called an electromyography (an EMG) to measure how quickly your nerves respond.

A degenerative disc disease diagnosis can require additional tests, such as:

Discogram or discography: A sterile procedure in which dye is injected into one of your vertebral discs and viewed under special conditions (fluoroscopy). The goal is to pinpoint which disc(s) may be causing you pain.

Bone scan: A technique used to create computer or film images of bones. A very small amount of radioactive material is injected into a blood vessel and then travels through the blood stream. It collects in your bones and can be detected by a scanner. The purpose is to help doctors detect spinal problems such as arthritis, a fracture, or infection.

Lab tests: A procedure where blood is drawn (venipuncture) and tested to determine if the blood cells are normal or abnormal. Chemical changes in the blood may indicate a metabolic disorder (medical condition).