What is a Herniated Disc?

A herniated disk is a condition when the spinal disks ruptures, and a portion of the spinal disc pushes outside its normal boundary.

When a herniated disc occurs, the soft interior of the disk bulges goes out and places pressure on the nearby nerves of the spinal
cord. The space for the nerves is further diminished, and irritation of the nerve results. When part of a disk presses on a nerve it can
cause pain in the back and the legs.

Disks are round, flat, plate-like structures between the vertebrae (back bones) in the spinal column. These disks act as springs,
absorbing shock and allowing bending movements of your spine. They have a tough covering over a soft, gelatinous inside (nucleus
pulposus), and their purpose is to cushion the back bones and allow the back to flex. When there is an injury the gel inside the disk,
the disk can be forced out through the tears or cracks in the outer layer of the disk. This causes the disk to break open compressing the spinal nerves and spinal cord.

In children and young adults, disks have high water content. As people age, the water content in the disks decrease and the disks
become less flexible. The disks begin to shrink and the spaces between the vertebrae get narrower. If a disk becomes too weak, the
outer part may tear. Spinal nerves are very sensitive to even slight amounts of pressure, which can result in pain, numbness, or
weakness.

Symptoms

The symptoms depend on the location of the herniation. You can have a herniated disk in any part of your spine. But most herniated
disks affect the lower back (lumbar spine). Some happen in the neck (cervical spine) and, more rarely, in the upper back (thoracic
spine)

When the compression occurs in the cervical (neck) region, the shocks go down your arms, when the compression is in the lumbar
(low back) region, the shocks go down your legs. The path the pain follows depends upon which disk is herniated and which spinal
nerve is inflamed or damaged. You may have pain when moving your neck, deep pain near or over the shoulder blade, or pain that
radiates to the upper arm, forearm, or fingers. The lower back (lumbar area) of the spine is the most common area for a slipped disk. With a lumbar (lower back) herniated disk, you may have sharp pain in one part of the leg, hip, or buttocks and numbness in other parts. A herniated disc in the lower back can cause pain and numbness in the buttock and down the leg. This is called Sciatica and is the most common symptom of a herniated disc in the low back.

How bad the pain is depends on how much of the disk is pressing on the nerve. The pain often starts slowly. You may also have
weakness in certain muscles. Because of the nerve irritation, signals from the brain may be interrupted causing muscle weakness.

Pain may also occur with herniated disks as a result of mechanical or neurological irritation of surrounding structures such as
muscles, tendons, ligaments, or joint capsules.

Causes

Disk herniation occurs more frequently in middle-aged and older men, especially those involved in strenuous physical activity. Other
risk factors include any conditions present at birth (congenital) that affect the size of the lumbar spinal canal. Sometimes, using your back muscles instead of your leg and thigh muscles to lift large, heavy objects can lead to a herniated disk. Other causes may
include excessive body weight that places added stress on the disks (in the lower back), obesity can also put pressure on the disks, and smoking can contribute to degeneration of the disk material.

Western Medicine Treatments

Many treatment strategies are focused on managing symptoms that occur in conjunction with a herniated disk. The treatments for a
herniated disk include:

Rest
Ice and heat applications
Anti-inflammatory medications to relieve the compression on the nerves
Physical therapy to strength the muscles that help support the spine
Diet and exercise are crucial to improving back pain in overweight patients
Surgical treatment

The treatment of a herniated disc depends on a number of factors including:

Symptoms experienced by the patient
Age
Activity level
Presence of worsening symptoms



Adopted from Wei Laboratories, Inc.