Can Connective Tissue Disease Cause Herniated Lumbar Spine Disc?

Is there a medical condition that causes breakdown of both spinal disc s and connective tissue such as ligaments? My 44 year old husband who has been healthy and was athletic into his 30 s suddenly started falling apart ... first he herniated a lumbar spine disc, no specific attributing injury, requiring surgery.. 3 months into rehab the same disc blew again requiring another ... 6 months later he has 2 blown c-spine disc s that require a fusion, again with no specific injury and a month after that he tears his meniscus! Is there some connective tissue disease that we should be concerned with or is this just wear and tear at 44, now just 45!! Its hard to grasp that in his mid-40 s he will have 4, possibly 5 surgeries in less than 15 months!