Hi Shirley,

Sorry that you're confused and distressed over the osteoarthritis diagnosis. It is easy to get confused about arthritis (have done that!) because the very word implies inflammation ("itis") but from my understanding you can have osteo(bone) arthritis without necessarily having inflammation. Any joint which loses its cartilage cushion is considered arthritic. With DDD, the discs dehydrate and collapse over time, becoming calcified and losing their ability to cushion. This can leave bone rubbing on bone which can cause overgrowth of the bone (osteophytes or spurs) with time.

Hope this makes sense. Maybe somebody else can jump in here and give a better explanation. Anyway, you probably don't have a new problem with your back, it's just the terminology the doctor chose to describe your back problems.

Hi Shirley,
Different Dr's interpret and explain diagnosis differently. I understand your confusion as sometimes all this can be overwhelming. I suffer from severe
OA throughout my body due to genetics. The best thing that happened is I
got referred to a Rheumatologist. I started out with Naproxen and eventually was prescribed other meds to control my discomfort. Inchworm shared some good info here also. Try and get a referral or seek out a good Rheumy on your own, I'm sure you will be glad you did. If I can be of any help PM me anytime and I will do my best.
Take care,
Ranger