A herniated disc is a spine condition that occurs when the gel-like center of a disc ruptures through a weak area in the tough outer wall, similar to the filling being squeezed out of a jelly doughnut. Low back or leg pain may result when the disc material touches or compresses a nearby spinal nerve. Conservative non-surgical treatment is the first step to recovery. With a team approach to treatment, 80% of people improve in about 6 weeks and return to normal activity. If you don’t respond to conservative treatment, your doctor may recommend surgery.
What are the symptoms?
Symptoms of a herniated disc vary greatly depending on the location of the herniation and your own response to pain. If you have a herniated lumbar disc, you may feel pain that radiates from your low back area, down one or both legs, and sometimes into your feet (called sciatica). You may feel a pain like an electric shock that is severe whether you stand, walk, or sit. Activity such as bending, lifting, twisting, and sitting may increase the pain. Lying flat on your back with knees bent may be the most comfortable because it relieves the downward pressure on the disc.
Sometimes the pain is accompanied by numbness and tingling in your leg or foot. You may experience cramping or muscle spasms in your back or leg.
In addition to pain, you may have leg muscle weakness, or knee or ankle reflex loss. In severe cases, you may experience foot drop (your foot flops when you walk) or loss of bowel or bladder control. If you experience extreme leg weakness or difficulty controlling bladder or bowel function, you should seek medical help immediately.
Patient Education Video: Herniated Discs
What Causes Herniated Discs?
What are the causes?
Discs can bulge or herniate because of injury and improper lifting or can occur spontaneously. Aging plays an important role. As you get older, your discs dry out and become harder. The tough fibrous outer wall of the disc may weaken, and it may no longer be able to contain the gel-like nucleus in the center. This material may bulge or rupture through a tear in the disc wall, causing pain when it touches a nerve. Genetics, smoking, and a number of occupational and recreational activities may lead to early disc degeneration.
Who is affected?
Herniated discs are most common in people in their 30s and 40s, although middle aged and older people are slightly more at risk if they're involved in strenuous physical activity.
Lumbar disc herniation is one of the most common causes of lower back pain associated with leg pain, and occurs 15 times more often than cervical (neck) disc herniation. Disc herniation occurs 8% of the time in the cervical (neck) region and only 1 to 2% of the time in the upper-to-mid-back (thoracic) region.
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The content on NJCSPM is not intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Please call 732-719-8148 for an immediate consultation or 911 if it is an emergency.
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