Herniated Disc - FAQ
Herniated Disc FAQ, Bulging Disc FAQ
1. Do all these names mean the same thing?
Herniated Disc, Bulging Disc, Slipped Disc, Ruptured Disc, Pinched Nerve, Disc protrusion, disc extrusion.
In short, they’re all pretty much the same. Obviously some situations are different, but as a rule of thumb if someone says they’ve got one of the above, then there’s a 99% chance we’re all talking about the same thing. The primary differences are how bad the bulge is, has it ruptured, or is still disc material all contained within the disk annulus.
2. What is a herniated disc?
A herniated disc occurs when the inner substance of the disc called the nucleus is pushed out of the inner capsules of the disc. A herniation can then push into the spinal canal through a tear or rupture in the annulus. If you look at the disc as a round dinner plate, then a herniation/bulge makes the dinner plate go from a round shape, into a round shape with a bulging part pushing out of one side of it. It is this bulge (or protrusion) of the disc material that can push on the spinal nerve to produce pain. The pain normally manifests itself as leg pain (or commonly known as sciatica).
Disc herniations are a common cause of low back pain and leg pain (sciatica). Symptoms may include dull or sharp pain, muscle spasm or cramping, sciatica, and leg weakness or loss of leg function. Sneezing, coughing, or bending over usually intensifies the pain. A herniation may develop suddenly or gradually over weeks or months.
3. Why did it happen to me?
Herniated discs seem to occur more frequently in people aged between 30 adn 40. When you’re younger the disc is pretty flexible, but as you approach your 30’s and 40’s the affects of air pollution, smoking, drinking, aging all start to degrade the quality of the disc. It starts to harden. Imagine a marshmallow that you leave sitting in the sun. The outside will start to go hard and possibly crack, but the inside will remain soft for some time. When I say some time I’m referring to your 30’s and 40’s, which is the period people are most vulnerable. The cracks can form in the disc, or they’re more easily teared. The soft jelly inside can squeeze out and create a bulge/herniation. As you age over 40 the inside material starts to harden more like the outside, and it becomes much harder for the inner disc material to squeeze through a crack or tear…. so basically as you age and the disc becomes harder you’re actually safer from getting a herniated disc.
Now with that explained, you can imagine if you lift something heavy, fall flat on your bum, then it’s like squeezing the outside of the marshmallow, and if you’re unlucky the inner disc material will squeeze out.
Most people tend to herniate their disc with either lifting or falling on their bums… by this I mean they are on a jetski, or motorbike, hit a large wave/jump the seat of their vehicle hits them in the bum, and replicates the same action as someone slipping over and landing on their butt. So almost all disc herniations can be explained like this.
4. What should I do if I suspect I have a bulging or herniated disc?
5. What non-surgical options do I have?
6. What surgical options do I have?
This is a work in progress and I’ll fill it out before the end of August 2007, please let me know if you have questions you think are common that I’ve missed.
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