Lower Back Degenerative Disc Disease (DDD)

Our spine experts help you relieve pain and other degenerative disc disease symptoms in your lower back.

Lower Back Degenerative Disc Disease (DDD)

Our spine experts help you relieve pain and other degenerative disc disease symptoms in your lower back.

Complete Care for Lower Back Disc Pain

The bones in your back (vertebrae) have cushioning between them, called discs. Degenerative disc disease (DDD) happens when your discs wear away and the vertebrae rub together, causing pain. The wearing away of your discs is a normal part of the aging process. But degenerative disc disease (DDD) can lead to painful back problems, like a herniated disc (ruptured disc), spinal stenosis (a narrowing of the spinal canal) or spondylolisthesis (abnormal vertebrae movement).  

Many people have degenerative disc disease symptoms in their lower back, such as: 

  • Lower back pain that comes and goes and gets worse when you bend, twist, sit or lift something  
  • Pain that extends from your lower back into your buttocks or down your legs 
  • Tingling or numbness in your legs 

We diagnose lower back degenerative disc disease with an X-ray or magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and explain all your treatment options to help you decide what’s best. Our spine team offers a variety of lower back degenerative disc disease treatment options, from nonsurgical treatments, like medicine and physical therapy, to the latest approaches in spine surgery — including minimally invasive decompression anterior lumbar interbody fusion

How We Treat Back Pain

Expert Lower Back Degenerative Disc Disease Treatment

We provide leading-edge care for everything from minor lower back pain treated with medicines and physical therapy to complex conditions that need spine surgery.

Our skilled physical therapists offer guidance and personalized exercises for degenerative disc disease in your lower back.

We develop a personalized treatment plan that gives you the best results and gets you back to the activities you enjoy.

If you need back surgery, it’s comforting to know you’re working with the best — Blue Cross Blue Shield recognizes us as a Blue Distinction Center for delivering quality spine surgery care.

Our skilled spine and orthopedic specialists are ranked “Top Doctors” by Los Angeles and Pasadena magazines.

Ram Kiran Alluri, MD

Accepting new patients
Assistant Professor of Clinical Orthopaedic Surgery
Specialties
Spine Surgery, Orthopedic Surgery

Thomas C. Chen, MD, PhD

Accepting new patients
Professor of Neurological Surgery
Specialties
Neurosurgery, Spine Surgery, Brain Tumor  View more

Raymond J. Hah, MD

Accepting new patients
Associate Professor of Clinical Orthopaedic Surgery
Specialties
Spine Surgery, Orthopedic Surgery

Patrick C. Hsieh, MD

Accepting new patients
Professor of Clinical Neurological Surgery
Specialties
Neurosurgery, Spine Surgery

John C. Liu, MD

Accepting new patients
Professor of Neurosurgery
Specialties
Neurosurgery, Spine Surgery

Christopher C. Ornelas, MD

Accepting new patients
Chief of Spine Medicine, Director of USC Spine Medicine Serv …
Specialties
Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, Orthopedic Surgery, Pain Medicine  View more

Michael Safaee, MD

Accepting new patients
Assistant Professor Of Clinical Neurological Surgery
Specialties
Neurosurgery, Spine Surgery

Mark J. Spoonamore, MD

Accepting new patients
Associate Professor of Clinical Orthopaedic Surgery
Specialties
Spine Surgery, Orthopedic Surgery

Gene Tekmyster, DO

Accepting new patients
Assistant Professor of Clinical Orthopaedic Surgery
Specialties
Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, Sports Medicine, Interventional Spine and Musculoskeletal Medicine  View more

Jeffrey C. Wang, MD

Accepting new patients
Professor of Clinical Orthopaedic Surgery and Neurosurgery ( …
Specialties
Spine Surgery, Orthopedic Surgery

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