A herniated spinal disc can cause considerable pain for those afflicted with it. Damage to the outer part of the disc, results in the inner material pushing out and exerting pressure on surrounding nerves, leading to painful symptoms. If suffering from spinal disc herniation Ashburn VA patients should know which treatment options are available to them.
Usually, when a patient complains of certain characteristic symptoms, the physician will have sufficient reason to suspect that a herniation has occurred. However, it is necessary to first conduct a physical exam and obtain the patient's medical history before making such a diagnosis, and quite often a diagnostic imaging test such as an MRI or CT scan will be performed to confirm this condition.
While herniation bears some similarities to degenerative disc disease, the actual source and nature of the pain is different. The former occurs as the result of nerve root compression when the disc's integrity is affected by injury or aging and is known as radicular pain. Whereas the latter produces axial pain which occurs in the disc space.
Most lumbar, or lower back herniations lead to pain felt in one or both legs, as it travels along the large sciatic nerve. It is actually more common for a patient to feel leg pain than discomfort in the lower back. Muscle weakness, impaired ankle reflexes, and tingling or numbness felt in the legs or feet are also associated with this type of disorder.
When a patient suffering from a lumbar herniation does not improve after six weeks, the physician will most likely implement one or a combination of non-surgical approaches. These treatments can include hot and cold therapy, chiropractic manipulation, physical therapy, oral steroids, non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, and epidural cortisone injections. Should these methods fail to provide relief, surgical procedures such as a microdiscectomy or lumbar fusion surgery may be indicated.
Most often seen in people in their thirties to fifties, herniation of the cervical spine, or neck is somewhat less common than that in the lumbar spine. Impingement of nerves in the neck, caused pain to be referred to the shoulders and arms, and sometimes all the way down to the fingertips. Hand-grasp is weakened in some cases and there may be tingling and numbness as well.
Non-surgical options for cervical herniations include administration of non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs such as ibuprofen, which may be sufficient for some people, if not then other therapies may be explored such as traction, physical therapy, bracing, activity modification, and chiropractic care. Muscle relaxants, as well as oral or injectable pain killers may be helpful too. If none of these measures are effective, surgical repair is typically recommended.
The least common site of herniation is the thoracic region, adjacent to the ribcage. Often asymptomatic, sometimes it only shows up in a diagnostic imaging test which is done for another reason. In cases which do present with pain, patients may be given anti-inflammatory injections and analgesics and referred for strengthening exercises, chiropractic manipulation, or cold therapy. Rarely, decompression surgery must be done, but this is only where severe pain is present and the spinal cord's function is affected.
Usually, when a patient complains of certain characteristic symptoms, the physician will have sufficient reason to suspect that a herniation has occurred. However, it is necessary to first conduct a physical exam and obtain the patient's medical history before making such a diagnosis, and quite often a diagnostic imaging test such as an MRI or CT scan will be performed to confirm this condition.
While herniation bears some similarities to degenerative disc disease, the actual source and nature of the pain is different. The former occurs as the result of nerve root compression when the disc's integrity is affected by injury or aging and is known as radicular pain. Whereas the latter produces axial pain which occurs in the disc space.
Most lumbar, or lower back herniations lead to pain felt in one or both legs, as it travels along the large sciatic nerve. It is actually more common for a patient to feel leg pain than discomfort in the lower back. Muscle weakness, impaired ankle reflexes, and tingling or numbness felt in the legs or feet are also associated with this type of disorder.
When a patient suffering from a lumbar herniation does not improve after six weeks, the physician will most likely implement one or a combination of non-surgical approaches. These treatments can include hot and cold therapy, chiropractic manipulation, physical therapy, oral steroids, non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, and epidural cortisone injections. Should these methods fail to provide relief, surgical procedures such as a microdiscectomy or lumbar fusion surgery may be indicated.
Most often seen in people in their thirties to fifties, herniation of the cervical spine, or neck is somewhat less common than that in the lumbar spine. Impingement of nerves in the neck, caused pain to be referred to the shoulders and arms, and sometimes all the way down to the fingertips. Hand-grasp is weakened in some cases and there may be tingling and numbness as well.
Non-surgical options for cervical herniations include administration of non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs such as ibuprofen, which may be sufficient for some people, if not then other therapies may be explored such as traction, physical therapy, bracing, activity modification, and chiropractic care. Muscle relaxants, as well as oral or injectable pain killers may be helpful too. If none of these measures are effective, surgical repair is typically recommended.
The least common site of herniation is the thoracic region, adjacent to the ribcage. Often asymptomatic, sometimes it only shows up in a diagnostic imaging test which is done for another reason. In cases which do present with pain, patients may be given anti-inflammatory injections and analgesics and referred for strengthening exercises, chiropractic manipulation, or cold therapy. Rarely, decompression surgery must be done, but this is only where severe pain is present and the spinal cord's function is affected.
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