LEARN MORE ABOUT DISC HERNIATION

Spinaldisc herniation or disc slip is an injury to the cushioning and connective tissue between vertebrae, usually caused by excessive strain or trauma to the spine. Spinal disc herniation may result in back pain, pain or sensation in different parts of the body, and physical disability.

Causes of spinal disc herniation:

There are many reasons of spinal disc herniation. Possible reasons are;

Ø  Age related wear and tear on the spine

Ø  Improper lifting of heavy objects

Ø  Being overweight can also increase stress on the disk

Ø  Frequent driving can put pressure on your spine and disks

Ø  Smoking because it lessens the oxygen supply to the disk and causes more rapid degeneration

Ø  It could be genetically inherited

Ø  Some occupations

Ø  Weak muscles

Ø  Falling from height

Symptoms of spinal disc herniation:

Symptoms which you can experience during spinal disc herniation are listed below.

Ø  Neck pain or low back pain

Ø  Numbness

Ø  Tingling

Ø  Muscular weakness

Ø  Paralysis

Ø  Loss of bladder or bowel control

Ø  Sciatica pain

Pathophysiology of disc herniation:

Spinaldisc herniation usually occurs in lumbar spine. But it can also occur at other regions. Types of spinal disc herniation can be;

Ø  Lumbar disc herniation; it occurs in the lower back

Ø  Cervical disc herniation; it occurs in the neck

Ø  Intradural disc herniation; it is a rare form of spinal disc herniation. In this condition, spinal disc may compress the spinal cord within the spinal canal

How to diagnose spinal disc herniation?

Following are some diagnostic procedures which doctors are using to confirm that if you’re actually suffering from spinal disc herniation.

Ø  Physical or neurological examination

Ø  Straight leg raise (SLR) test

Ø  Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scan

Ø  Computerized tomography (CT) scan

Ø  X-ray imagining

Ø  Electromyography and nerve conduction studies

Ø  Myelography

Ø   Transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS)

Treatments of disc herniation:

Depending on the severity of symptoms and nerve damage; treatments of spinal disc herniation can categorized under;

Ø  Non-surgical treatments

Ø  Surgical treatments

Non-surgical treatments include;

Rest; bed rest of one to two days can often help to relieve back and leg pain. Avoid sitting for long period for pain relief. Avoid movements that can cause more pain.

Nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory medications (NSAIDs) can help relieve pain.

 Physical therapy will help strengthen your lower back and abdominal muscles.

Epidural steroid injection into the space around the nerve may provide short-term pain relief by reducing inflammation.

Surgical treatments for spinal disc herniation are;

Microdiskectomy; in this procedure small incision is made at the level of disc herniation to remove the herniated disk. This process is more beneficial if only one disk is affected.

Rehabilitation; it includes simple walking program along with specific exercises to help restore strength and flexibility to your back and legs.