The Causes & Treatment of A Herniated Disc

Also known as a bulging disc, a herniated disc can be very painful because the part that is bulging could be touching a nerve. On the other hand, a person can go around with a herniated disc and never even know it because he feels nothing unusual.

Determining the cause of a herniated disc (or as some people mistakenly call it, a slipped disc) can be either normal wear and tear, or an accident which causes an injury to the spine or backbone.

If it is normal wear and tear, this does not necessarily mean that everyone will get when they reach a certain point in their life. The usual candidates for herniated disc is someone who engages in physical activities over a long period time; or someone who constantly putting pressure and strain on his back and backbone whether because of hard play or hard work.

In the case of accident, it is usually a sudden, jarring motion that causes problems with the spine. However, there have been many cases also though of small cracks in the outer skin of the disc that may be causes by an injury that gradually get more serious if left unattended. The problem of course, is you don’t always know the condition of your spine until you feel spinal pain.

Sometime, if you notice the following symptoms, it can give the doctor a clue to a possible bulging disc problem. These symptoms are numbness, spinal pain, weakness in your limbs, spasms, loss of bowel and bladder control, and a never before felt constant tingling sensation.

The herniated disc treatment is basically rest from strenuous physical activity but your doctor will recommend that you go about your usual daily business, without straining your back with heavy lifting, high impact exercises, or bending from the waist. The time frame for healing a ‘slipped disc’ can be anywhere from a couple of weeks to a few months depending on the severity of the problem. You can request of pain medication if you are unable to bear the pain, but the drugs will only relieve the pain, not treat the herniated disc.

There have been rare cases when herniated disc treatment will have to include surgery. But this statistic is relatively low because with a little patience, your body will heal. After treatment and healing, you have to be careful about taking care of your spine better through regular exercise, better eating habits, good posture, and avoid smoking. You should also look into updating your mattress for better support when you sleep.