Herniated Disc Made Easy?

Many patients who experience lower back and leg pain or neck pain and arm suffer with disc herniation. When the doctors says, "You have a herniated disc?" The patient then wants to know "What is a herniated disc?"

Spinal Anatomy

Let us start by reviewing the anatomy of the spine. Most disc protrusions occur in the neck (cervical spine) or in the lower back(lumbar spine) and much less frequently in the mid back( thoracic spine). The anatomy of the disc and vertebra of the cervical spine is different from the disc of the lumbar spine. However, the dynamics of how discs of your spine herniate, bulge, or protrude are the same.

The spine has twenty-six bones called vertebra. In between the vertebra there is a shock absorbing cushion called the intervertebral disc. Discs are made up of ring fibers of cartilage that encase a thick liquid nucleus. The disc of your back for the most part are a tissue with minimal blood supply. Most of the nutrients necessary to keep the disc alive come from the pumping movements of the spine. When the joint quits moving the disc begins to die.

The outer rings fibers of cartilage in a disc have a rich nerve supply. Although, the disc nucleus material is thick it behaves with fluid dynamics much like a bag of water. When a disc is compressed from side to side or front to back, the thick liquid nucleus moves causing the cartilage to expand, absorb shock, and prevent the vertebra from fracturing.

Degenerative Changes of Discs

Discs of the human skeleton, about the age of 25, begin to dehydrate causing the cartilage to become dry and brittle. Disc are often damaged early in life as we participate in activities that are highly compressive to the spine and disc. When pressure is exerted on our body, the ring fibers of cartilage begin to tear and crack. The pressure then causes the thick liquid center to spread into the crack causing the weakened cartilage to protrude, bulge, or herniate.

Damaged, cracked, and torn disc cause pain by:

1. applying direct pressure on a nerve


2. leaking chemicals that irritate of the nerve


3. or by stretching the nerves in the outer rings fibers of cartilage.

Symptoms of Herniated Discs

In the cervical spine (neck) herniated disc symptoms are:

• neck pain


• arm(s) pain


• upper mid back pain


• numbness in the arm


• loss of muscular strength in the arm(s)


• cramps in the arms

In the lumbar spine (lower back) herniated disc symptoms are:

• lower back pain


• sciatica (leg pain), especially below the knee,


• leg numbness


• leg cramps


• leg weakness

Severe cases of lower back disc herniation can cause frequent urination, inability to urinate, diarrhea, or severe constipation. If you are suffering with lower back and leg pain or numbness and begin to lose control of your bowels or bladder this is an emergency. You need to go directly to the hospital emergency room for immediate treatment before the nerves to the bowel or bladder are damaged permanently. This is called Cauda Equina Syndrome is considered uncommon and rare in both traumatic and atraumatic cases of lumbar herniated discs.

If you are suffering with herniated discs, I urge to the consider spinal decompression therapy. Spinal decompression treatment is:

1. extremely safe


2. likely effective


3. cleared by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA)


4. non-surgical


5. affordable

Remember, with herniated discs, early detection often leads to early correction. Postponing treatment more frequently leads to more invasive, costly, and risky procedures.