What You Need to Know About a "Slipped" Or Herniated Disc - Part 2
In the first part of this series you learned about some of the anatomy of the spine and what exactly a "slipped" or herniated disc is.
Simply put, the discs between your vertebrae can become injured and will compress nearby nerve roots.
Regardless of how the term "slipped" disc sounds they do not slip out of place.
Discs are firmly attached to the vertebrae and typically the bone will break before the disc would slip out of place.
However, they do leak their gelatinous centers which can injure or irritate the nerve roots and create some significant symptoms in the individual.
This article is about some of the symptoms you may experience if you have a herniated disc.
One of the most classic signs of a disc herniation is pain, numbness, tingling, or weakness to one arm or leg.
Arm symptoms would indicate a disc herniation in the neck.
Leg symptoms are almost always indicative of a low back herniation.
These arm or leg symptoms will be accompanied by neck or lower back pain although the pain may be worse in the extremity.
Not all pain that goes into an extremity indicates a disc herniation.
If the pain does not cross the elbow or the knee there is a higher likelihood that the problem is pain referral rather than a herniation.
However, shooting or electric pain crossing one of the joints is the first major indicator that a disc herniation is present.
The next major sign is the distribution of numbness, tingling or weakness.
With a disc herniation there will be a very specific area that these symptoms will affect.
For example, a herniation of the disc between the 5th and 6th vertebrae of the neck will cause numbness or tingling in the 4th and 5th fingers of that hand.
A herniation of the disc between the 5th vertebra of your lower back and your sacrum will cause weakness in the big toe.
These specific symptoms and signs can indicate that there is some compression or irritation of that specific nerve root.
Another sign that you may be dealing with a disc herniation is that coughing, sneezing, or straining may increase your symptoms.
For example if you sneeze and it sends sparks down to your thumb you may have a herniated disc.
In another case you may be straining on the toilet and have pain shoot down your leg.
These actions increase intra-abdominal pressure and can exacerbate a nerve root compression.
These common symptoms are important to be able to identify.
If you notice them you will want to seek the help of a medical professional so that you can treat the problem before it becomes more serious.
The good news is that a complete recovery is very plausible in most cases.
However, seeking late treatment or no treatment at all can diminish the chances of a full recovery in the timeliest manner.
The final article in this series is next and will discuss some of the treatment options once you have been diagnosed with a disc herniation.
Simply put, the discs between your vertebrae can become injured and will compress nearby nerve roots.
Regardless of how the term "slipped" disc sounds they do not slip out of place.
Discs are firmly attached to the vertebrae and typically the bone will break before the disc would slip out of place.
However, they do leak their gelatinous centers which can injure or irritate the nerve roots and create some significant symptoms in the individual.
This article is about some of the symptoms you may experience if you have a herniated disc.
One of the most classic signs of a disc herniation is pain, numbness, tingling, or weakness to one arm or leg.
Arm symptoms would indicate a disc herniation in the neck.
Leg symptoms are almost always indicative of a low back herniation.
These arm or leg symptoms will be accompanied by neck or lower back pain although the pain may be worse in the extremity.
Not all pain that goes into an extremity indicates a disc herniation.
If the pain does not cross the elbow or the knee there is a higher likelihood that the problem is pain referral rather than a herniation.
However, shooting or electric pain crossing one of the joints is the first major indicator that a disc herniation is present.
The next major sign is the distribution of numbness, tingling or weakness.
With a disc herniation there will be a very specific area that these symptoms will affect.
For example, a herniation of the disc between the 5th and 6th vertebrae of the neck will cause numbness or tingling in the 4th and 5th fingers of that hand.
A herniation of the disc between the 5th vertebra of your lower back and your sacrum will cause weakness in the big toe.
These specific symptoms and signs can indicate that there is some compression or irritation of that specific nerve root.
Another sign that you may be dealing with a disc herniation is that coughing, sneezing, or straining may increase your symptoms.
For example if you sneeze and it sends sparks down to your thumb you may have a herniated disc.
In another case you may be straining on the toilet and have pain shoot down your leg.
These actions increase intra-abdominal pressure and can exacerbate a nerve root compression.
These common symptoms are important to be able to identify.
If you notice them you will want to seek the help of a medical professional so that you can treat the problem before it becomes more serious.
The good news is that a complete recovery is very plausible in most cases.
However, seeking late treatment or no treatment at all can diminish the chances of a full recovery in the timeliest manner.
The final article in this series is next and will discuss some of the treatment options once you have been diagnosed with a disc herniation.
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