Diagnosed With
a Herniated
Disc?
By: Dr. Robert
Duvall, DPT, ATC,
MGFI
You've probably heard
people say they have a
"slipped" or "ruptured"
disc in the back.
Sometimes they complain
that their back “went
out”. What they're most
likely describing is a
herniated disc. This
condition is a common
source of back and leg
pain.
Discs are soft cushions
found between the
vertebrae that make up
the spinal column (your
backbone). In the
middle of the spinal
column is the spinal
canal, a hollow space
that contains the
spinal cord. The nerves
that supply the arms,
leg, and torso come
from the spinal
cord.
The nerves from the
neck supply the arms
and hands, and the
nerves from the low
back supply the butt
and legs. The discs
between the vertebrae
allow the back to move
freely and act like
shock
absorbers.
The disc is made up of
two main sections. The
outer part (the
annulus) is made up of
tough cartilage that is
comprised of series of
rings. The center of
the disc is a
jelly-like substance
called the nucleus
pulposus. A disc
herniates or ruptures
when part of the jelly
center pushes through
the outer wall of the
disc into the spinal
canal, and puts
pressure on the nerves.
A disc bulge is when
the jelly substance
pushes the outer wall
but doesn't completely
go through the
wall.
What do you
feel?
Low back pain will
affect four out of five
people during their
lifetime. The most
common symptom of a
herniated disc is
“sciatica”. Sciatica is
best described as a
sharp, often shooting
pain that begins in the
buttocks and goes down
the back of one leg.
This is most often
caused by pressure on
the sciatic nerve that
exits the spinal cord.
Other symptoms
include:
•
Weakness in one leg
or both legs
•
Numbness and
tingling in one leg
(pins &
needles)
• A
burning pain
centered in the low
back
• Loss
of bladder or bowel
control (seek
medical attention
immediately)
• Back
pain with gradually
increasing leg pain.
(If you have
weakness in both
legs. Seek immediate
attention.)
How do you know you
have a herniated
disc?
Your medical history is
key to a proper
diagnosis. A physical
examination can usually
determine which nerve
roots are affected (and
how seriously). A
simple x-ray may show
evidence of disc or
degenerative spine
changes. An MRI
(magnetic resonance
imaging) is usually the
best option (most
expensive) to determine
which disc has
herniated.
Why do discs
herniate?
Discs are primarily
composed of water. As
we become older (after
the age of 30), the
water content
decreases, so the discs
begin to shrink and
lose their shape. When
the disc becomes
smaller the space
between the vertebrae
decreases and become
narrower. Also, as the
disc loses water
content the disc itself
becomes less
flexible.
While aging, excess
weight, improper
lifting and the
decrease in water in
the discs all
contribute to the
breaking down of discs,
the primary cause of a
herniation or bluge is
uneven compression and
torsion that's placed
on the
discs.
This uneven pressure is
caused by imbalances in
muscles that pull the
spine out of its normal
position and then your
body is forced to
function in what I call
a physical dysfunction.
Every human being
develops these
dysfunctions over time
and eventually they
cause enough damage to
create pain.
The best treatment
options
When it comes to
treating a herniated
disc, there are
traditional treatments
such as ice/heat,
ultrasound, electrical
stimulation, cortisone
injections,
anti-inflammatory
medications and even
surgery. While these
may deliver some
relief, it will usually
be temporary if at
all.
But the major problem
with these traditional
treatments is that they
can't fix or heal a
herniated disc as they
do not address the
actual cause of the
problem. For example,
even if you were to
have a surgery and get
some pain relief, the
fact is the
dysfunctions that
caused the disc to
herniated in the first
place are still there
and if not addressed,
they will continue to
place uneven pressure
and strain on the discs
and sooner or later you
will likely have
another problem with
that disc, or
others.
Without identifying and
addressing the
underlying cause of the
problem, which is the
physical dysfunctions
caused by imbalances in
muscles, you will
likely continue to
suffer with this
condition and the
continuous flare ups
for years.
Unfortunately, most
doctors, chiropractors
and physical therapists
don't spend time or
focus on identifying
the physical
dysfunctions that are
responsible for the
condition so most
people end up jumping
from one useless
traditional treatment
to the next and suffer
for months or years
unnecessarily.
If you have been
diagnosed with a
herniated disc, or are
wondering if your back
pain may be caused by a
herniated disc, either
way you must identify
and address the
physical dysfunctions
that are causing your
pain as part of your
recovery.
Back
Pain Caused By A
Herniated
Disc?
Do
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-
Morristown,
Tennessee
"The
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"
I
had
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from
Lower
Back
Pain
(Slip
Disc)
for
the
past
9
years.
During
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I
was
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quite
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few
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I
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hip
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After
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Saudi
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Bennie
L.
Crane
-
Chicago,
Illinois
|
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|
|
"Surprised
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George
M,
76
years
old
-
San
Diego,
California
Click
on
the
play
button
below
|
|
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|
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These
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From
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-----Original
Message-----
From:
anita@xyz.net
Sent:
Monday,
July
24,
2006
12:40
PM
To:
LoseTheBackPain.com
Subject:
Re:
Return
Instructions
Thank
you
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|
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|
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videos
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Lose
the
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CD's
-
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pg
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Your
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Unlimited
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(OPTIONAL)
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And
again,
if
you
don't
start
seeing
the
improvements
and
feeling
better,
simply
send
the
system
back
within
one
year
for
a
full
refund!
So
go
ahead...
make
the
decision
right
now
to
try
the
system.
|
|
Here's
How
to
Get
Started
|
|
Please
Chose
the
Option
that's
Best
For
You
|
Price
|
Order
|
|
Lose
The
Back
Pain
-
DVD
System
(all
regions)
Includes
Complete
System
and
DVD
videos
|
$97
|
|
|
Lose
The
Back
Pain
-
VHS
System
(ntsc
format
-
U.S.
&
Canada)
Includes
Complete
System
and
VHS
videos
|
$97
|
|
|
Lose
The
Back
Pain
-
Online
Version
-
You
can
have
instant
access
to
the
complete
system
and
watch
the
videos
online.
Save
$18
plus
shipping
and
handling
costs
and
get
started
right
away!*
*
The
online
version
works
best
if
you
have
a
High
Speed
Internet
connection
|
$79
|
|
|
|
Still
Not
Sure?
Sign
Up
For
Our
FREE
Back
Pain
Advisory
Simply
fill
out
the
form
below
with
your
first
name
and
your
primary
email
address
and
we
will
send
you
the
latest
copy
of
our
Back
Pain
Advisory
and
access
to
the
7
Back
Pain
Mistakes
Audio
right
away...
|