Herniated Disc Treatment

What is a herniated disc?

You’ve probably heard people say they have a “slipped” or “ruptured” disc in the back. Sometimes they complain that their back “went out”. What they’re most likely describing is a herniated disc. This condition is a common source of back and leg pain.

Spine surgeons are doctors who have received medical training in diagnosing and treating spine disorders and related conditions of the neck, mid-back and lower back. Other such disorders include the following:

- Scoliosis

- Osteoarthritis

- Herniated discs

- Stenosis

Spine fracture due to osteoporosis is very common and as a matter of fact, approximately 700,000 people in the United States alone are suffering from this disorder each year.

The problem with spine fracture is that it is not diagnosed and treated most of the time. People always think of it as a simple back pain from muscle strain, injury in the soft tissue or as a normal part of getting old.

Sciatica occurs when the sciatic nerve gets inflamed or irritated. It is characterized by pain and sometimes tenderness, weakness or numbness from lower part of the back down to the thighs, legs and feet. Sciatica pain normally starts from the buttocks or sometimes, from the lower back going downward along the flow of the sciatic nerve.

Sciatica is associated to that shooting pain from the buttocks and hips and runs down to the leg and feet. Mostly, this condition is accompanied by back pain felt in the lower portion and is more defined compared to the leg pain. “Sciatica” is indicative of the involvement of the sciatic nerve, the body’s biggest nerve. It runs from the buttocks to the legs. As this nerve gets irritated or disturbed by some pressure, maybe from a herniated disc, the person then feels that burning pain or sciatic pain.

MRI stands for Magnetic Resonance Imaging, which is a non-invasive diagnostic method used by physicians in the identification and treatment of medical conditions. An MRI lumbar spine is simply an MRI scan used for the purpose of diagnosing lumbar spine disorders.