3. Degenerative Disc Disease
Another potential cause of a pinched nerve in the spine is degenerative disc disease. We have Artie discussed what a herniated disc is, and how are herniated disc can protrude from the spinal column in order to compress one of the nerves, but degenerative disc disease can also do this. That’s because degenerative disc disease and herniated disc have many things in common.
Degenerative disc disease simply means that you have a disease that makes your discs deteriorate at a faster rate than normal. This may be caused by genetics or have dozens of other potential causes.
The point is, when your disc begins degenerating, it can cause compression against those nerves. That can lead to a pinched nerve in the spinal column that causes pain in that area or in some of the other areas of the body depending upon where the nerve leads.