The good news is that degenerative disc disease seldom causes long-term impairment and rarely need surgery. In reality, in most cases of degenerative disc degeneration, basic strength and stretching exercises can help relieve back and neck pain. /span> The bad news is that degenerative disc disease is a term used to describe when the discs between your bones in your spine start to break down with age. As these discs deteriorate, they lose their ability to cushion the vertebrae within your spine. This can lead to pain as well as neurological problems such as numbness or weakness in your limbs. Surgery may be needed to correct some of these problems but in many cases this is unnecessary as there are many non-surgical treatments available for degenerative disc disease. Stretching is very important for anyone who experiences back or neck pain. Stretching helps increase the blood flow to your joints which reduces pain and swelling if you do experience an injury. It also increases your body's ability to repair damaged tissues which means you go through less time recovering from injuries. You should try to include gentle stretching in your daily routine. You can do this before you move something heavy or go for a long walk. This will help prevent future problems with stiffness and pain.