What Kind of Pain Can You Expect From A Herniated Disc?

A herniated disc is a problem with your backbone where the internal substance in your spongy disc (the part of the spine that help you jump around without breaking your spine) starts to break out of its protective cover. This will explain the other terms used for this condition which are bulging disc or slipped disc. There are many other names for this condition like collapsed disc (or disk), disc tear, disc protrusion, ruptured disc, black disc, or torn disc. Doctors’ have their personal preferences, but the condition is all the same.

Not all herniated disc conditions are accompanies by pain. Many times, you can have this condition but not even know it because you feel absolutely normal. This is good because there is no suffering, no stress, or no distress. Your body will heal on its own provided you do not get into an accident, bump your spine and cause this substance to hit a nerve, or anything like this. In fact, a strong coughing or sneezing episode could change your bulging disc condition and start to cause you spinal pain.

The spinal pain is a result of this substance touching a spinal nerve, and the pain can range from mild for a very minimal contact, to excruciating. The pain location will depend on where the herniated disc is. It can be at the top near the neck or all the way at the lower back, and the pain will be felt in the lower back, pelvic and leg areas.

Technically, there are two main types of spine pain: the disc pain and the pinched nerve. The disc pain is also known as axial pain. This means that the pain is coming from the disc space, and can be generally found in the leg or lower back. This is known as a degenerative disc disease. Regardless of the term used, this kind of condition does not get progressively worst all the time. In fact, in most cases, over time, your condition will improve.

There are 2 reasons for the pain you feel with a degenerative disc condition: inflammation and abnormal micro-motion instability. The inflammation is cause by proteins in the disc, while the micro-motion pain happens when the outer portion of your disc gets damaged. With both situations, you will start to feel muscle spasms.

With a pinched nerve, the herniation or the protrusion of tissue is what is causing the pain. This nerve root pain can travel to different parts of the body like the neck or legs, and make it difficult for the person to walk, run, or turn his head.

If pain from your slipped disc becomes unbearable, you can consult with your doctor about possible pain killers or even surgery.