|
Welcome to ArticleWay.com!
Articles » Health-&-Fitness » Alternative-Medicine >> View Article
|
 |
|
 |
| A Disc Herniation Picture |
By:
|
|
by Todd Beartoes
Disc Herniation Picture - to an ordinary person the disc herniation picture will seem like Latin and Greek so let's try to understand a written picture of what disc herniation is all about. In human anatomy the spine or vertebral column consists of 33 vertebrae (bones) that are running along the human back connecting the skull to the pelvis. The vertebrae shield the nerves that come out from the brain and then further pass through the back and into the entire body.
The discs that the spinal column is composed of are like soft pads between hard bones that make up the entire column. These discs are filled with a gelatinous like substance which servers as a shock absorber for the spinal column. The main segments of the spinal column are: Cervical (neck - portion behind skull) spine, thoracic (part of the back behind chest) spine, lumbar (lower back) spine and sacral spine (part connected to the pelvis and does not move). In the lumbar spine the discs are composed of a thick outer right of cartilage (annulus) and an inner gel like substance (nucleus).
Here are a few common terms for Disc Herniation: Pinched nerves, bulging disc, ruptured disc, radiculopathy, (radiculopathy refers to any disease that affects spinal nerves) sciatica and slipped disk are just a few of them. When a disc degenerates, it herniates it means that the inner core begins to extrude back into the spinal column.
The spinal disc has a tendency to become less elastic due to ageing and thereby posing a possibility that it can rupture. As and when the disk ruptures a portion of it would push outside the normal boundary and bulge out from between the vertebrae. Herniated disc in itself may not pose any risks but if it weren't for the spinal nerves that are situated pretty close to the edge of the spinal discs.
Symptoms of disc herniation: Considered the most common reason for pain in the neck, lower back, arms and legs. Symptoms also include electric shock like pain, tingling and numbness in the cervical and lumbar region, muscle weakness, loss of bowel or bladder control is to be handled as medical emergency. Sciatica ( is a condition wherein a sharp and shooting pain moves down from buttocks to the back of one leg) is also a very vivid sign of disc herniation.
Factors that cause herniated discs: a herniated disk condition may develop either due to an accident or because of repetitive strenuous activities of the back, sudden strain on the back or also can develop gradually due to ageing and degeneration of discs. In the past few years there have been more sports related spinal injuries and C - Spine (Cervical) injuries have caused disc herniation in both contact sports like football, hockey and wresting and also in non contact sports like skiing, diving, surfing and equestrian events.
Diagnosis and treatments of disc herniation: Depending on a patient's condition and symptoms, patients may be asked to undergo spine x-ray, spine CT, spine MRI, and EMG in order to properly diagnose herniated disc. Non-Surgical method of treatment may include rest and activity modification, physical therapy and hot and cold therapy, epidural steroid injections, oral steroid medications and NSAIDs (Non steroidal Anti Inflammatory Drugs).
Surgical treatments may be recommended in the event of significant neurological damages causing loss of function and in cases where conservative non surgical treatments fail to yield desired results. Depending upon the size and position of disk herniation, surgical treatment options may include microdisketomy or laminectomy. Arthroscopic surgery is a minimally invasive surgery that involves use of an arthroscope (a type of endoscope) for examination and treatment of herniated discs.
About the Author:
Say goodbye to your problems of thoracic back pain. Grab your NO COST ebook on how to relieve your back pain today! Also discover details on the treatment for back pain. Ton's of details. |
|
|
 |
 |
 |
 |
|
|
