The human spinal cord is made up of vertebrae or bones and disks. These disks act like soft cushions between the bones of the spinal cord. This is due to these discs only that you can make any kind of movements with the help of the backbone.
Now, there come situations in which the disk between the two bones in the spine gets pressed on the nerves around the spinal cord. Then, it is called as herniated disc. In English vocabulary the word “herniate” refers to bulging out or sticking out. Common people call it as ruptured or slipped disc.The problems of slipped disc occur usually in the lower backbone area, also called as lumbar spine.
How a disk does become herniated?
In old age, the spinal cord becomes weak. With the growing age the disks in the spinal cord acquire nearly flat shape and thus become less cushiony. If a disk becomes too feeble then it may suffer from tearing of its outer part. In such a case, the inside part of the disc exerts pressures on the nerves besides it and presses them down. In this way the slipping of disc occurs. It is noted that people in their late 30′s or early 40′s suffer from the problems of ruptured disc.
What are the symptoms of herniated disc?
The ruptured disc initially causes severe pain in back and the legs. This pain occurs when the disc part presses the nerves down. The area of pain is the area in which the disc is extremely weak. The amount of pressure the disc exerts on the nerves is directly proportional to the pain experienced by the patient. In many cases of ruptured disc, people experience pain over the buttock which slowly travels to back of one thigh and ultimately into the calf. Since, the pain follows the path of the sciatic nerve, it is also known as sciatica. Sometimes your legs may get numb or else the pain gets to severe to cope with.
During the ruptured disc problems, the pain itself soothes when the patient takes rest. But it may get worsens up if the patient remains in purely active state without any respite. Actions like driving, coughing, sneezing, and dancing can cause more severe pain. This is because nerves are constantly involved in these activities which are already under pressure.
With proper care and medicine and stretching activities the pain of slipped disc can be controlled. But as soon as you witness the problem of a ruptured disc you must contact your doctor.
Author: Joe R Leech