How Herniated Discs Cause Pain In Your Back

By Michael Pritsker


The spinal cord is a simple arrangement of bones and cushioning discs between them. However, the nerves these bones are protecting can be affected when there is a problem with those bones or discs. One of these problems is herniated discs.

How does a spinal disc become herniated? In most cases, this condition occurs from a back injury. However, constant straining of the back can lead to disc problems like this as well. The pain is felt when one of the discs is moved out of its right position. This causes it to touch the sensitive nerves near it in the spinal cord.

As you age, the spinal discs become less tough than they are when you are younger. Once this elasticity is lost, the occurrence of injury can be more likely to happen. Pain is usually felt in tingling sensations or electric shocks down into the legs. If the upper back is the area experiencing a herniated disc, then pain is sometimes felt in the arms.

Muscle weakness is a symptom of discs being herniated that can cause problems with your daily activities. When the nerves in the spinal cord become irritated due to the misplaced disc, the messages usually sent through them are interrupted. This is the reason for muscle pain and weakening.

Pain can be managed through medication or your doctor may ask you to participate in physical therapy. Physical therapy can help to strengthen muscles around the disc that is troubling you, thus helping to immobilize it. Applying ice and heat packs may also be recommended for this sort of back pain to reduce swelling and inflammation.

You might be able to have surgery to prevent the worsening of pain and damage from herniated discs. The procedure is called discectomy and will involve removal of disc fragments. This could be the answer in relieving all your back pain due to the discs being out of place.




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