Disc herniation
A herniated (slipped) disk occurs when all or part of a disk is forced through a weakened part of the disk. This may place pressure on nearby nerves or the spinal cord.
Causes:
The bones (vertebrae) of the spinal column protect nerves that come out of the brain and travel down your back to form the spinal cord. Nerve roots are large nerves that branch out from the spinal cord and leave your spinal column between each vertebra.
The spinal bones are separated by disks. These disks cushion the spinal column and put space between your vertebrae. The disks allow movement between the vertebrae, which lets you bend and reach.
With herniated disk:
The disk may move out of place (herniate) or break open (rupture) from injury or strain. When this happens, there may be pressure on one or more spinal nerves. This can lead to pain, numbness, or weakness.
The lower back (lumbar area) of the spine is the most common area affected by a herniated disk. The neck (cervical) disks are the second most commonly affected area. The upper-to-mid-back (thoracic) disks are rarely involved.
A herniated disk is a cause of radiculopathy. This is a condition that affects the spinal nerve roots.
Herniated disks occur more often in middle-aged and older men, usually after strenuous activity. Other risk factors may include:
Lifting heavy objects
Being overweight
Repetitive bending or twisting the lower back
Sitting or standing in same position for long hours
Inactive lifestyle
Smoking
Symptoms:
The pain most often occurs on one side of the body. Symptoms vary, depending on the site of injury, and may include the following
With a herniated disk in your lower back, you may have sharp pain in one part of the leg, hip, or buttocks, and numbness in other parts. You may also feel pain or numbness on the back of the calf or sole of the foot. The same leg may also feel weak.
With a herniated disk in your neck, you may have pain when moving your neck, deep pain near or over the shoulder blade, or pain that moves to the upper arm, forearm, and fingers. You can also have numbness along your shoulder, elbow, forearm, and fingers.
The pain often starts slowly. It may get worse:
After standing or sitting
At night
When sneezing, coughing, or laughing
When bending backward or walking more than a few yards or meters
When straining or holding your breath, such as when having a bowel movement
You may also have weakness in certain muscles. Sometimes, you may not notice it until your health care provider examines you. In other cases, you will notice that you have a hard time lifting your leg or arm, standing on your toes on one side, squeezing tightly with one of your hands, or other problems. Your bladder control may be lost.
The pain, numbness, or weakness often goes away or improves a lot over weeks to months.
Treatment:
The first treatment for a slipped disk is a short period of rest and taking medicines for the pain. This is followed by physical therapy. Most people who follow these treatments recover and return to normal activities. Some people will need to have more treatment.
References: Medline Plus (https://medlineplus.gov/)
