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Herniated Disc: Symptoms - Conditions

General Information (Disc Herniation)

A herniated disc occurs when the soft center part of the disc (nucleus pulposis) ruptures though the outer wall (annular ring) of the disc structure. Also referred to as a herniated intervertebral disc, slipped disc, or ruptured disc, a disc herniation can occur in the neck, middle or lower back. A classification system is in place to describe the degree of herniation of disc material.

  1. 1. Bulge
  2. 2. Protruded or contained herniation
  3. 3. Extruded herniation
  4. 4. Sequestered herniation

If you are unsure of what is causing your back pain our self diagnosis tool is the perfect place to begin.  The process only takes a few minutes and gives you the confidence of knowing why you are in pain and how you can treat it.  Click here to begin.

Herniated Disc Symptoms

I have seen many patients that come in to see me at later stages of their condition. Catching any condition in an early state is important to avoid it progressing into a more painful and more debilitating state. If something seems wrong or out of the ordinary for an unusual amount of time then you should consider at least consulting with your family doctor and taking things from there. Dr. Robert Biscup, Chief Spine Surgeon at Biscup Institute

The predominant complaint usually involves “pinched nerve pain” in the upper or lower extremities that can be severe and disabling. Severe back pain may be also present, as well as numbness, weakness, balance or walking problems and even partial or complete paralysis, especially if the spinal cord in the neck or middle back is involved.  If you are concerned about your symptoms or have any further questions you need answered, please feel free to contact Dr. Biscup and he will gladly answer them.

Treatment Options

The treatment for most disc herniations includes medication, physical therapy, and occasionally intervention pain blocks. Surgery may be required if these measures fail.

The standard herniated disc operation today is a microdiscectomy which is performed as an outpatient procedure in most cases and has a very good success rate. However, between 5 and 10% of disc herniations can recur since there is additional disc material that can come out of the disc space. Further, the disc structure will continue through the degenerative process (as mentioned above) and other conditions may occur such as disc space collapse, spondylolisthesis, spinal stenosis, and spinal instability. This same can also happen at any or multiple other spinal levels.

The key to successful treatment is to treat the patient, not the x-ray. Less is more. Since most of the spinal structures have little or no capacity to heal or replace themselves, it is likely that further and ongoing care for spine patients will be required in the future.  If you would like more information on the specific herniated disc treatments that Biscup Spine Institute offers please click here.

The Spine Degeneration Process

Remember that a disc herniation is a symptom of another problem – the spine degeneration process.  Be sure that your spine doctor discusses with you the entire nature of your problem when outlining a comprehensive and optimal treatment program. For this reason alone you may want to take advantage of having a free MRI review with Dr. Biscup to help determine just where you are with your current condition. If you would be interested in talking with Dr. Biscup just click here.