Herniated Disc

What is a Herniated Disc?

Spinal Discs lie between two vertebrates acting as cushions to handle shocks, and provide the necessary agility to perform various movements of the spine. These rubbery discs are soft at the core which forms its nucleus and have a rigid shell surrounding it called the annulus. Herniated Disc, or Slip Disc, is a condition in which the soft nucleus is pushed out of the annulus into the spinal cavity due to a crack. Due to this, a nerve can get compressed by the soft nucleus triggering pain.

Causes of Herniated Discs

Spinal discs act like shock absorbers for the spine because of their spongy characteristic. Due to aging and wear-tear, these discs become hard, rigid and also lose their thickness leading to deformity in the disc structure. When such deformed discs are exposed to pressure, they might push themselves into the spinal cavity pressing some nerve root. Herniated disc condition is also called slip disc.

There might be some more reasons that might cause slip discs like poor nutrition, sedentary lifestyle with no exercise, poor posture, and smoking. Professions that require people to lift heavy weights can also cause slip discs.

Symptoms of Herniated Discs

Spinal discs are present between adjacent vertebrates throughout the length of the spine. Therefore, the herniated disc condition can take place in any of the discs from the cervical to the lumbar region. However, it has been observed that the lumbar region is highly susceptible to herniated discs as it handles the most pressure in anybody's activity.

The symptoms of herniated discs include:

Pain in the back on one side.
Numbness and tingling sensation in the herniated disc vicinity.
Pain that gets worse when doing any activity and reduces while taking rest.
The weakness of the muscles.
A Pain that spreads from the back to the thighs to the calves.
Difficulty in standing and sitting.

Diagnosis of Herniated Disc

At Dunes Pain Clinic, our doctors will do a detailed physical examination of the body and jot down the symptoms faced by the patient. The patient will be examined for muscle strength, nerve reflexes, and sensitivity of the area that is affected. Sensitivity to pain is checked by touching or making temperature variations.

Apart from physical examination, imaging techniques like MRIs, X-Rays, CT Scans, and Discograms are used to get a clear view of the herniated disc.

Once all the particulars of the physical examination and scans are available, a detailed analysis is performed to confirm the presence of a herniated disc.

Treatment at Dunes Pain

At Dunes Pain Clinic, the most modern therapy techniques are put into practice by our competent doctors and specialists for the treatment of Herniated Disc. The treatment might consist of conservative as well as surgical methods.

Patients might be required to go under conservative methods of treatment like physical therapy. This strengthens the muscles, improves the posture, and stretches the back resulting in the reduction of pain. Lifestyle changes like not lifting heavy weights, avoiding jerky movements, and a healthy diet also aid in reducing the pain.

Medication might include general painkillers like ibuprofen. However, if the pain does not go away then muscle relaxants, anti-inflammatory medicines, and steroids might be used for providing relief.

Minimally invasive therapies like nerve blocks, radiofrequency ablation, and nerve stimulation are administered to heal the patient. Sometimes, when the condition and symptoms are severe, surgical techniques like microdiscectomy might be performed. Physicians at Dunes Pain might refer you to a surgeon if an operation is required.

At Dunes Pain Clinic we take a multidisciplinary approach to treat your slip disc. Call us!