A herniated disc occurs when the soft, gel like center (nucleus pulposus) of a spinal disc pushes through a tear in the tough outer ring (annulus fibrosus). The displaced disc material can press on adjacent spinal nerves, causing pain, numbness, tingling, or weakness in the arms or legs depending on the location of the herniation.
Disc herniations most commonly occur in the lumbar spine (lower back) and the cervical spine (neck). They are one of the most frequent causes of radiculopathy, which is nerve pain that radiates from the spine into the extremities.
How a Herniated Disc Affects You
The specific symptoms depend on where the herniation occurs and which nerve is compressed. Lumbar herniations typically cause leg symptoms, while cervical herniations affect the arms.
- Sharp or burning pain radiating down the leg (sciatica) or into the arm
- Numbness or tingling in the affected limb
- Muscle weakness in the leg or arm served by the compressed nerve
- Pain that worsens with sitting, bending, or lifting (lumbar herniation)
- Neck pain with radiating arm symptoms (cervical herniation)
- In severe cases, bowel or bladder dysfunction (a medical emergency)
Treatment Options and Outlook
Many herniated discs improve with conservative treatment over six to twelve weeks. Options include physical therapy, anti inflammatory medications, and epidural steroid injections. When conservative care fails to provide adequate relief, or when there is significant weakness or progressive neurological deficit, surgical discectomy offers a direct solution. Dr. Waldron performs minimally invasive discectomy with excellent success rates for pain relief.