Herniated Disc

What is a herniated disc?

Within your spine are small, protective discs that sit between your vertebrae and absorb the shocks of your movements. The discs are round and feature a tough exterior and a soft, gel-like center.

When too much pressure is put on the disc during an injury or because of age-related changes in the disc’s structure, the disc can herniate and force the soft center out through the outer disc layer.

Often, the disc’s center can push against surrounding spinal nerves and trigger a persistent pain in your spine. Nerve compression can also cause other symptoms that interfere with your mobility and quality of life.

What are the symptoms of a herniated disc?

A herniated disc can occur anywhere along your spine. If the affected disc is in your cervical spine, you’ll experience symptoms in your neck. When the disc is in your lumbar spine, symptoms affect your lower back.

Common symptoms of a herniated disc include persistent pain in your neck or back. This pain can also radiate down into your shoulders, arms, legs, and feet. Many people experience shock-like pain sensations with their movements or live with a chronic sharp pain that limits their mobility.

Continued pressure on your spinal nerves can lead to numbness, tingling, and weakness in your neck, back, or limbs.

How is a herniated disc diagnosed?

The team at Apex Spine and Neurosurgery offers on-site diagnostic testing to determine if your symptoms relate to a herniated disc.

Your provider may use X-rays, a computed tomography (CT) scan, or magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) to view the structures of your spine and identify a herniated disc.

Once they confirm disc damage, the Apex Spine and Neurosurgery team can customize a treatment plan to relieve the pressure on your spinal nerves that’s causing pain and other symptoms.

How is a herniated disc treated?

Initially, you may benefit from nonsurgical therapies to reduce pain and improve your mobility. This may include taking anti-inflammatory medications or receiving injections of steroids and anesthetic medicines into the epidural space of your spine to calm inflammation and numb surrounding nerves.

If these treatments aren’t enough to manage your chronic pain, your physician may recommend discectomy surgery. This type of surgery focuses on removing part or all of the damaged disc. The team also offers microdiscectomy, a surgery that requires only small incisions and specialized instruments to remove only the damaged part of the disc.

Your surgeon may also perform a spinal fusion at the same time as your discectomy. A fusion involves the implantation of a piece of bone (a bone graft) from another part of your body into your spine between two vertebrae where the disc was. Over time, the graft fuses your vertebral bones together to form a solid piece and provide support and stability to your spine.

To find out if you need surgery to treat a herniated disc, call Apex Spine and Neurosurgery, or request a consultation online today.