Dr. Georgiy Brosuvanik, Spine Surgeon with Baptist Health South Florida, explains spinal degenerative disc disease starts when the discs collapse. “Discs maintain the space between bones, if the disc becomes sufficiently small, the nerve becomes compromised and then patients start to develop pain that goes from their back down to their extremities.”

He also says the time that takes to see a huge collapse in the discs varies, but most patients do not need surgery.