herniated nucleus pulposus, slipped disk…

Medical experts recommend this detailed explanation.

[ Find Organization | Index Page ]

skeletal spine, sciatic nerve, herniated nucleus pulposis, herniated disk repair, lumbar spinal surgery, lumbar radiculopathy, cervical radiculopathy, herniated intervertebral disk, prolapsed intervertebral disk, slipped disk, ruptured disk, herniated nucleus pulposus, slipped disk, the soft, gelatinous central portion of an intervertebral disk, nucleus pulposus, forced, a weakened part, the disk, results in back pain, leg pain, lumbar herniation, neck pain, arm pain, cervical herniation, due to nerve root irritation, bones, the spinal column, vertebrae, run down the back connecting the skull, pelvis, bones protect nerves, they exit the brain, travel down the back, entire body, spinal column is divided into several segments, the cervical spine, neck, thoracic spine, the back behind the chest, lumbar spine, lower back, sacral spine, part connected, pelvis, does not move, spinal vertebrae, separated by cartilage disks filled, a gelatinous substance, provide cushioning, spinal column, disks, herniate, move out of place, rupture from trauma, strain, degenerative changes have occurred, in the disk, radiculopathy, disease affecting the spinal nerve roots, a herniated disk is one cause, not the only cause, radiculopathy, sciatica, most herniation takes place, in the lumbar area, the spine, lumbar disk herniation occurs 15 times more often than cervical, neck, disk herniation, the most common causes, lower back pain, cervical disks, affected 8%, the time, upper-to-mid-back, thoracic, disks only 1 to 2%, the time, nerve roots, large nerves that branch out, spinal cord, become compressed resulting in neurological symptoms, sensory, motor changes, disk herniation occurs more frequently in middle aged, older men, those involved in strenuous physical activity, risk factors include any congenital conditions that affect the size, the lumbar spinal canal, symptoms of herniated lumbar disk, severe low back pain, pain radiating, buttocks, legs, feet, pain made worse, coughing, straining, laughing, tingling, numbness in legs, feet, muscle weakness, atrophy in later stages, muscle spasm, symptoms of herniated cervical disk, neck pain, in the back, sides, deep pain near, over the shoulder blades on the affected side, pain radiating, shoulder, upper arm, forearm, rarely the hand, fingers, chest, pain made worse, coughing, straining, laughing, increased pain, bending the neck, turning head, side, spasm, the neck muscles, arm muscle weakness, a physical examination, history of pain sufficient to diagnose the disorder, a neurological examination, performed to evaluate muscle reflexes, sensation, muscle strength, examination, the spine, reveal a decrease, in the spinal curvature, in the affected area, straight-leg-raising test that reveals leg pain is diagnostic of a herniated lumbar disk, a "foraminal compression test of spurling", performed to diagnose cervical radiculopathy, performed by bending the head forward, sides downward pressure is applied, top, the head, increased pain, numbness, test, indicative of cervical radiculopathy, diagnostic tests, a spine x-ray performed to rule out other causes, neck pain, not possible to diagnosis herniated disk by spinal x-ray alone, a spine mri, spine ct, spinal canal compression by the herniated disk, a myelogram performed to define the size, location of disk herniation, an emg performed, the exact nerve roots, involved, a nerve conduction velocity test, mainstay of treatment, herniated disks, initial period of rest, pain, anti-inflammatory medications, followed by physical therapy, under this regimen, over 95% of people, recover, return to normal activities, a small percentage of people, need to go on, have further treatment, steroid injections, surgery, medications, an acute herniated disk, sort of trauma, a car accident, lifting a very heavy object, followed by severe pain, in the back, leg, narcotic pain relievers, non-steroidal anti-inflammatory medications, nsaids, is also an element of back spasm, anti-spasm drugs, muscle relaxants, on rare occasions, steroids administered either by pill, blood, an intervenous line, iv, long-term pain control, limited to nsaids, occasionally narcotics, pain, does not respond to nsaids, people unable to, physical therapy, pain, steroid injections, in the area, the herniation, very helpful in controlling pain, several months, allows a vigorous therapy program to be initiated, control pain, the long-term, lifestye modifications, extra weight, carried, individual, weight up front, in the abdomen, worsen any back pain syndrome, a program of diet, exercise is crucial to improving back pain in overweight patients, physical therapy is another crucial treatment, nearly everyone, lumbar disk disease, therapists, instruct how to properly lift, dress, walk, perform other activities, work on strengthening the muscles, the abdomen, lower back to help support the spine, flexibility, the spine, legs, third aspect of most therapy programs, practitioners recommend the use of back braces to help support the spine, overuse of these devices, weaken the abdominal, back muscles a worsening, the problem, weight belts, in preventing injuries in those whose work, lifting of heavy objects, a soft cervical collar, cervical radiculopathy, collar helps reduce the pain, muscle spasms by limiting neck movements, a rigid neck collar, occasionally be necessary to eliminate weight bearing on the cervical spine, severe pain, muscle spasms, surgery, the few patients whose symptoms persist despite the, above interventions, surgery a good option to control pain, diskectomy is performed to remove a protruding disk under general anesthesia, hospital stay is short, 2-3 days, encouraged to walk the first day after surgery to reduce the risk of blood clots, complete recovery takes several weeks, more than one disk needs to be taken out, in the back besides a herniated disk, extensive surgery needed, require a much longer recovery period, surgical options include micro diskectomy, a procedure removing fragments of nucleated disk, a very small incision, x-ray guidance, chemo nucleosis, chemonucleolysis involves, injection of an enzyme, chymopapain, herniated disk to dissolve the protruding gelatinous substance, procedure an alternative to diskectomy in certain situations, improve, conservative treatment, a small percentage, continue to have chronic back pain after treatment, people who injure themselves on the job tend not to, such injuries, take several months to a year, to resume all activities, pain, strain, certain occupations that involve heavy lifting, back strain, need modification to avoid recurrent back injury, chronic back pain, permanent spinal cord injury, loss of movement, sensation, in the legs, feet, loss of bowel, bladder function, persistent, severe back pain develops, any numbness, loss of movement, safe work, play practices, proper lifting techniques, weight control, prevent back injury, people.