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Degenerative Disc Disease

Villanueva Institute of Pain and Spine

Degenerative Disc Disease Treatment in Burbank, CA

Sitting through a drive, standing at work, bending to pick something up, turning your neck, walking for longer periods, or getting comfortable at night can all become harder when a spinal disc is irritated or worn down due to degenerative disc disease. 

I am Dr. John Villanueva, double board-certified in PM&R and interventional pain management at Villanueva Institute of Pain and Spine (VIPS). When I evaluate degenerative disc disease, I look at your symptoms, movement, imaging, nerve function, prior treatments, and how pain is affecting your day-to-day life.

At VIPS, the plan starts with identifying what is painful now. Disc degeneration can irritate nearby nerves, change spinal mechanics, contribute to stenosis, stress the facet joints, or create deep low back pain from the vertebral endplates. Once we understand the pattern, we can talk through treatment options that make clinical sense.

If you are looking for degenerative disc disease treatment in Burbank, CA, call VIPS at (818) 669-8895 or request an appointment online. We are located in Burbank and see patients from Glendale, Pasadena, Van Nuys, Toluca Lake, Studio City, Sherman Oaks, North Hollywood, Sun Valley, La Cañada, La Crescenta, Los Feliz, Atwater Village, Silver Lake, Echo Park, and communities throughout the San Fernando Valley and greater Los Angeles area.

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What Is Degenerative Disc Disease?

Degenerative disc disease refers to changes in the spinal discs. These discs sit between the vertebrae and help absorb pressure, allow movement, and cushion the spine.

Over time, discs can lose hydration, height, and flexibility. Small tears can form in the outer layer of the disc, and the space around nearby nerves can become tighter. As the disc changes, the surrounding joints, muscles, ligaments, and nerves may also begin to compensate.

Despite the name, degenerative disc disease is not always a “disease” in the way patients usually think of one. Many people have disc degeneration on MRI or X-ray and do not have serious pain, while others have disc changes that match their symptoms very clearly. The evaluation is where we sort out whether the disc is truly part of the pain pattern.

Degenerative Disc Disease vs. Normal Disc Aging

Disc changes become more common with age, but age alone does not explain everything. Some patients have significant disc degeneration and very little pain. Others have pain that seems out of proportion to the imaging report.

That is why I do not treat based on the MRI by itself. I look at how your pain behaves. Does it worsen with sitting or bending? Does it travel into the leg or arm? Does standing or walking bring on numbness or heaviness? Do you have stiffness, weakness, spasms, or trouble sleeping? Those details help show whether the disc, nerve, facet joint, spinal canal, or another structure is most likely involved.

A useful treatment plan begins with that distinction. We need to know whether the disc changes are the main pain source, one piece of a larger spine pattern, or simply a finding that happens to be present on imaging.

What Degenerative Disc Disease Can Feel Like

Degenerative disc disease can affect the neck, mid-back, or lower back. Symptoms vary depending on the disc level involved and whether nearby nerves, joints, or muscles are irritated.

Patients often describe:

  • Deep aching in the low back or neck
  • Stiffness after sitting, sleeping, or staying in one position
  • Pain with bending, lifting, twisting, or prolonged sitting
  • Pain that improves when changing positions
  • Muscle tightness or spasms
  • Pain that travels into the buttock, hip, leg, shoulder, arm, or hand
  • Numbness, tingling, burning, or electric pain
  • Leg heaviness or walking difficulty when stenosis is involved
  • Neck pain with headaches or shoulder blade pain
  • Back pain that flares after activity, driving, travel, or exercise
  • Difficulty sleeping because the spine will not settle

Common Causes and Contributors

Disc degeneration can develop gradually over time, but several factors can influence how early it appears or how painful it becomes.

Common contributors include:

  • Age-related disc changes
  • Prior spine injury
  • Repetitive bending, lifting, twisting, or vibration
  • Genetics
  • Smoking history
  • Physically demanding work
  • Sedentary habits or deconditioning
  • Prior disc herniation
  • Arthritis in nearby spinal joints
  • Spinal stenosis or foraminal narrowing
  • Prior spine surgery
  • Poor sleep, stress, and long-term pain sensitivity


For many patients, there is not one single cause. The disc changes may be part of a longer story involving work, injuries, activity level, posture, strength, inflammation, nerve irritation, and the way the body has adapted to pain over time.

Lumbar Degenerative Disc Disease

Lumbar degenerative disc disease affects the lower back.

Lumbar disc pain may feel deep, dull, sharp, or pressure-like, and it may worsen with sitting, bending forward, lifting, getting out of a chair, driving, or staying in one position too long. Some patients feel better when they stand or walk; others feel worse if stenosis or nerve irritation is part of the problem.

Low back disc degeneration can also contribute to sciatica, foraminal narrowing, spinal stenosis, facet joint stress, sacroiliac joint overload, and vertebrogenic low back pain. When symptoms travel into the buttock, hip, leg, calf, foot, or toes, I look closely for nerve involvement.

Cervical degenerative disc disease affects the neck. Patients may notice neck stiffness, pain with turning the head, headaches, shoulder blade pain, or pain that travels into the shoulder, arm, hand, or fingers.

When a cervical nerve root is irritated, symptoms may include numbness, tingling, burning, weakness, or electric pain in the arm. Some patients also notice that driving, computer work, reading, or sleeping in certain positions makes the pain worse.

Neck pain is often layered. A degenerative disc may be part of the picture, but facet joints, muscles, posture, nerve irritation, and shoulder mechanics can also contribute.

Disc degeneration can irritate nerves when disc height loss, bulging, herniation, arthritis, or bone spurs reduce the space around a nerve root. When that happens in the low back, pain may travel into the buttock, leg, or foot. When it happens in the neck, pain may travel into the shoulder, arm, or hand.

Nerve-related symptoms may feel sharp, shooting, burning, electric, tingling, numb, or weak. Some patients have more limb pain than spine pain. Others feel both.

This distinction matters because nerve pain is treated differently than pain that stays mainly in the back or neck. An epidural steroid injection or selective nerve root block may be discussed when the exam and imaging point to an irritated spinal nerve.

Disc degeneration often affects more than the disc itself. As a disc loses height, the spine can place more stress on the facet joints, ligaments, and nerve openings. Over time, this can contribute to arthritis, foraminal narrowing, or spinal stenosis.

Spinal stenosis can cause leg pain, heaviness, cramping, numbness, tingling, or weakness with standing and walking. Many patients feel better when they sit down or lean forward.

Facet joint arthritis can feel more mechanical. Patients often describe aching or stiffness that worsens with standing, twisting, bending backward, or getting up after sitting.

These patterns can exist together, so the treatment plan must be specific.

Some patients with chronic lower back pain have pain coming from the vertebral endplates, which are the areas where the disc meets the vertebral bone. This is called vertebrogenic pain.

Vertebrogenic pain is often felt deep in the center of the low back and may worsen with sitting, bending forward, lifting, driving, or getting up from a chair. MRI findings such as Modic changes can help support the diagnosis when the symptoms fit.

When vertebrogenic pain appears to be a major part of the problem, Intracept®, also called basivertebral nerve ablation, may be discussed. This is different from standard spine RFA because it targets the basivertebral nerve inside the vertebral body rather than the medial branch nerves around the facet joints.

When Degenerative Disc Disease Needs Prompt Medical Attention

Some symptoms should be evaluated urgently. Seek emergency care if you develop new loss of bowel or bladder control, numbness in the groin or saddle area, rapidly worsening arm or leg weakness, severe weakness in the foot or hand, fever with severe spine pain, severe pain after major trauma, or pain with a history of cancer or infection risk.

You should also seek prompt medical evaluation if numbness, tingling, or weakness is getting worse, or if pain is spreading quickly.

For ongoing back or neck pain that is stable but affecting your quality of life, a pain management evaluation can help clarify what is causing the symptoms and what options may help.

Degenerative Disc Disease Treatment Options

Degenerative disc disease treatment depends on what is driving the pain. A patient with mostly axial low back pain needs a different plan than someone with sciatica, spinal stenosis, facet joint pain, vertebrogenic pain, or chronic nerve symptoms after surgery.

Physical therapy can help improve strength, flexibility, posture, walking tolerance, spinal mechanics, and confidence with movement. For disc-related pain, therapy may focus on core strength, hip mobility, neck or back mobility, body mechanics, nerve glides, or gradual return to activity.

As a PM&R physician, I look closely at function. I want the plan to help you sit, stand, drive, walk, sleep, work, exercise, and move with less guarding.

Medication can be useful when degenerative disc disease is making it difficult to sleep, move, work, drive, or participate in therapy. Depending on your symptoms, we may discuss options to reduce inflammation, calm nerve-related pain, ease muscle spasm, or help you function with less discomfort.

I choose medication carefully based on your diagnosis, health history, current prescriptions, and how you have responded to treatment in the past. Medication usually works best when it supports the larger plan.

An epidural steroid injection may help when disc degeneration, herniation, stenosis, or foraminal narrowing is irritating a spinal nerve. The injection places anti-inflammatory medication near the affected nerve to reduce irritation and make movement more tolerable.

This option is often discussed when pain travels into the leg or arm, or when numbness, tingling, burning, or electric pain suggests nerve involvement.

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A selective nerve root block targets a specific spinal nerve. It can be useful when symptoms and imaging suggest one nerve root is responsible for pain traveling into the arm or leg.

The response can provide relief and help confirm whether that nerve pathway is part of the problem.

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Disc degeneration can increase stress on the facet joints. When pain feels stiff, deep, mechanical, and worse with standing, twisting, or bending backward, facet-related pain may be part of the pattern.

Facet joint injections or medial branch blocks can help evaluate whether the small joints of the spine are contributing to pain. If diagnostic blocks provide strong temporary relief, radiofrequency ablation may be discussed.

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Radiofrequency ablation, often called RFA, uses controlled heat to quiet selected nerves that carry pain signals from irritated or arthritic joints. For properly selected patients with facet-related neck or back pain, RFA may provide longer-lasting relief than a temporary block.

RFA is chosen when the diagnostic process supports the target.

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Degenerative disc disease can lead to muscle guarding, tightness, and painful trigger points in the neck, back, shoulders, hips, or surrounding areas. Trigger point injections may help when specific muscle bands are contributing to pain and limiting movement.

These injections can make stretching, therapy, posture work, and daily activity more manageable.

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Intracept®, also called basivertebral nerve ablation, may be discussed when chronic low back pain appears to come from damaged vertebral endplates. MRI findings such as Modic Type 1 or Type 2 changes can help support this diagnosis when the pain pattern fits.

This treatment is designed for vertebrogenic pain, not general disc degeneration. The symptoms and imaging both matter.

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The mild® Procedure may be an option for certain patients with lumbar spinal stenosis caused in part by thickened ligament tissue. It is often discussed when standing or walking brings on leg heaviness, numbness, tingling, cramping, or weakness, and sitting or leaning forward gives relief.

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Spinal cord stimulation may be considered for certain patients with chronic nerve-related back, neck, arm, or leg pain, especially when symptoms have continued despite medication, therapy, injections, prior surgery, or other appropriate care.

Patients begin with a temporary trial before any permanent implant is discussed.

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PRP and other regenerative medicine options may be discussed for certain spine-related, joint-related, tendon, ligament, or soft tissue pain patterns. Whether regenerative care makes sense depends on diagnosis, imaging, severity, prior treatments, and goals.

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Some patients need a surgical opinion. This may apply when imaging shows severe nerve compression, progressive weakness, instability, severe stenosis, a large, herniated disc with neurological deficits, or another structural problem that may require surgery.

If surgery should be considered, I will explain why and help guide the next step.

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Good Candidates for Degenerative Disc Disease Treatment

You may benefit from a degenerative disc disease evaluation if spine pain has lasted for weeks or months, keeps returning, or is limiting your daily life. You do not need to know whether your pain is coming from the disc, nerve, joint, muscle, or another structure before your visit. The consultation is where we sort that out.

Patients often come in with:

  • Chronic low back pain or neck pain
  • Pain that worsens with sitting, bending, lifting, twisting, standing, or walking
  • Pain that travels into the buttock, hip, leg, shoulder, arm, or hand
  • Numbness, tingling, burning, or electric pain
  • Muscle spasms, stiffness, or reduced motion
  • A need for a clearer explanation before choosing the next step
  • Imaging showing disc degeneration, disc height loss, bulging discs, stenosis, or Modic changes
  • Pain that has not improved enough with medication, rest, physical therapy, or prior injections
  • Difficulty sleeping, working, driving, exercising, walking, or handling daily routines

How I Evaluate You Before Recommending Treatment

Before recommending treatment, I want to understand how the disc changes fit into the larger pain pattern.

Two patients can both have degenerative disc disease on MRI and need very different care. One may have nerve irritation from foraminal narrowing. Another may have facet joint pain because the disc has lost height. Another may have vertebrogenic pain with Modic changes. Another may have muscle guarding and stiffness without a major nerve problem.

During your consultation, I review your history, examine your spine and nerves, study imaging when available, and ask how pain is affecting your life. That might mean sitting through a workday, sleeping comfortably, driving across Los Angeles, standing long enough to cook, walking without leg heaviness, or getting back to exercise.

The goal is to connect the imaging to your symptoms in a way that actually helps us make decisions.

Why Choose VIPS for Degenerative Disc Disease Treatment?

Degenerative disc disease care works best when the plan is specific. At VIPS, I look at the discs, nerves, joints, muscles, imaging, prior treatment response, and daily function before recommending care.

When you choose VIPS, you can expect:

I am double board-certified in PM&R and interventional pain management. My PM&R training helps me evaluate movement, function, rehabilitation, strength, gait, and nerve symptoms. My interventional training allows me to perform targeted spine procedures when they fit the diagnosis. In addition to my double-board certification, my certification as a Life Care Planner reflects advanced training in assessing long-term medical and rehabilitation needs. This expertise allows me to provide a comprehensive perspective when evaluating future care needs and serving as a medical-legal consultant and expert medical witness.

Disc findings can be confusing. I review the actual imaging when possible and connect it to your symptoms, exam, and goals.

Degenerative disc disease can involve discs, nerves, facet joints, vertebral endplates, stenosis, muscles, and prior injuries. I take time to identify which part of the pattern is most important.

Many spine injections and procedures are performed with fluoroscopy or ultrasound guidance. The guidance method depends on the target, anatomy, safety, and clinical need.

Care may include physical therapy, medication management, epidural steroid injections, selective nerve root blocks, medial branch blocks, facet joint injections, radiofrequency ablation, trigger point injections, Intracept®, mild®, spinal cord stimulation, regenerative medicine, or surgical referral.

I want to know whether pain is limiting sleep, work, driving, exercise, walking, lifting, sitting, standing, or time with family. Those details help define what success should look like.

Many patients come to VIPS with imaging reports full of spine terms but without a clear explanation. I want you to leave with a better understanding of what matters and what can be done next.

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What Happens During Degenerative Disc Disease Treatment?

Before any procedure, I explain what we are targeting, why that target fits your symptoms, what to expect afterward, and how we will measure your response.

Some patients need treatment in stages. We may begin by calming the most limiting pain source, then build the rest of the plan around movement, strength, pacing, posture, activity tolerance, and follow-up care.

Your treatment depends on the pain source:

  • For nerve-related symptoms, treatment may involve an epidural steroid injection or selective nerve root block. 
  • For facet-related pain, the plan may include medial branch blocks, facet joint injections, or radiofrequency ablation. 
  • For muscle guarding, trigger point injections and rehabilitation may be helpful. 
  • For vertebrogenic low back pain, Intracept® may be discussed. 
  • For stenosis-related walking difficulty, the mild® Procedure may be considered. 
  • For chronic nerve pain after surgery or long-standing nerve symptoms, spinal cord stimulation may be part of the conversation.

What Should You Expect After Treatment?

Your response depends on the diagnosis, treatment performed, and how long the pain has been present.

Some injections can provide quick temporary relief because of local anesthetic. Anti-inflammatory medication may take several days to work. RFA may take days to weeks before the benefit becomes clear. Intracept®, mild®, regenerative options, and spinal cord stimulation each have their own recovery and response timeline.

After treatment, I want you to track practical changes. Can you sit longer? Turn your neck more comfortably? Drive with less pain? Walk farther? Sleep better? Bend or lift with more confidence? Have fewer flares?

Those changes tell us whether the treatment is helping your life, not just changing a pain score.

Degenerative Disc Disease Treatment in Burbank, CA

VIPS is located in Burbank, CA, in the Magnolia Park neighborhood. The office is designed to feel welcoming and personal, with comfortable seating, warm finishes, and original artwork from patients who are working artists.

This is a place where your story has time to be heard. I live and work in Burbank, and I care about building a practice where patients feel known, respected, and well informed.

We see patients from Burbank, Glendale, Pasadena, Van Nuys, Toluca Lake, Studio City, Sherman Oaks, North Hollywood, Sun Valley, La Cañada, La Crescenta, Los Feliz, Atwater Village, Silver Lake, Echo Park, and communities throughout the San Fernando Valley and greater Los Angeles area.

Burbank Degenerative Disc Disease FAQs

To schedule a degenerative disc disease consultation in Burbank, CA, we invite you to call (818) 669-8895 or contact VIPS online today. The right care may help you spend less time organizing your life around spine pain and more time moving with comfort and confidence.

The name can be misleading. Degenerative disc disease usually refers to age-related or wear-related disc changes. Some people have disc degeneration on imaging without major pain, while others have symptoms that clearly match the disc findings.

Degenerative disc disease can be influenced by aging, genetics, prior injury, repetitive strain, smoking history, physically demanding work, arthritis, disc herniation, spinal stenosis, prior surgery, or long-term changes in spine mechanics.

It may feel like aching, stiffness, sharp pain, pressure, spasms, or pain that worsens with sitting, bending, lifting, standing, or walking. If nerves are irritated, symptoms may travel into the leg, foot, shoulder, arm, or hand.

Yes. Degenerative disc disease can contribute to sciatica when disc changes, herniation, stenosis, or foraminal narrowing irritate a nerve root in the lower back. This can cause pain, numbness, tingling, burning, or weakness in the leg.

Yes. Degenerative disc disease in the cervical spine can irritate nerves that travel into the shoulder, arm, or hand. Symptoms may include pain, numbness, tingling, burning, or weakness.

Not every patient needs an immediate MRI. Imaging may be recommended when symptoms persist, include nerve signs, worsen despite conservative care, or when injections or procedures are being considered. I will explain whether imaging is appropriate based on your symptoms and exam.

You should consider an evaluation if back or neck pain has lasted for weeks or months, keeps returning, travels into the arm or leg, causes numbness or tingling, interrupts sleep, or limits sitting, standing, walking, driving, work, or exercise.

Seek urgent medical care for new loss of bowel or bladder control, numbness in the groin or saddle area, rapidly worsening weakness, fever with severe spine pain, severe pain after trauma, or symptoms associated with cancer or infection risk.

The cost of degenerative disc disease treatment in Burbank can vary depending on the evaluation, imaging, medication plan, physical therapy, injections, nerve testing, advanced procedures, or specialist referrals involved. During your consultation, my team can help you understand what information may be needed for scheduling, authorization, and cost review.

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