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Signs You May Have a Slipped Disc

Slipped disc pain can make life miserable, making even basic tasks difficult and tedious. It’s crucial to address the early signs of a herniated disc before symptoms worsen, potentially leading to reduced mobility and other complications. Fortunately, many effective pain management techniques can help control your pain and allow you to resume normal activities. The award-winning physicians and therapists at PHYWorld offer comprehensive and personalized recovery plans tailored to your specific pain levels. Using state-of-the-art facilities and cutting-edge techniques, our highly trained and experienced therapists work diligently to alleviate your discomfort without surgical intervention.

The spinal column consists of a series of vertebrae stacked on top of each other, cushioned by discs that act like shock absorbers to protect the bones during activities such as walking, lifting, and twisting. These discs are crucial for spinal movement, allowing for flexibility as we lift, bend, or twist.

Natural aging and activities like weight lifting can cause spinal discs to stiffen and lose flexibility, reducing their ability to support and cushion the bones. This degeneration makes the discs more susceptible to damage and injury, leading to slipped discs, especially in the back or neck.

What Is a Slipped Disc?
A slipped disc, also known as a herniated, bulging, protruding, or ruptured disc, occurs when degenerative changes cause the tough outer shell of a disc to break or tear, releasing its inner fluids into the spinal canal. Slipped discs can occur anywhere along the spine but are most common in the lumbar or cervical spine.

While many people experience disc herniation without pain or symptoms, others suffer significant pain, weakness, and difficulty walking or standing. Sometimes, slipped disc symptoms mimic other back and spinal conditions.

Signs Your Pain May Be From a Slipped Disc:

  1. Pain, Numbness, or Weakness in Arm or Leg: Back or neck pain are primary symptoms of a herniated disc. A slipped disc in the lumbar or cervical spine can cause low back or neck pain, as well as pain, numbness, and weakness extending to the arms or legs. Sciatica is a common symptom, causing one-sided pain, weakness, numbness, and tingling that travel from the lower back to the buttocks, thighs, and calves. Similarly, a slipped disc in the neck can pinch or irritate nearby nerves, causing pain, weakness, and numbness that radiate from the neck to the shoulder, arm, and hand.
  2. Pain During Certain Movements: Herniated disc pain may strike suddenly or worsen with specific movements such as transitioning from sitting to standing or bending. Sharp, stabbing, or electric pain can occur with activities like coughing, sneezing, prolonged sitting or standing, or hunching forward.
  3. Pain Subsides With Rest: Another indicator is pain relief with rest. Lying flat on your back with bent, supported knees or sitting in a reclining chair can alleviate pain by reducing spinal pressure.

Even without symptoms, you may have a herniated disc diagnosed through imaging tools.

What Causes a Slipped Disc? 

A disc has a soft, gelatinous inner part and a tough outer ring. A slipped disc occurs when the outer ring weakens or tears due to injury, allowing the inner portion to bulge out, causing pain and discomfort. If the slipped disc compresses a spinal nerve, you may experience numbness and pain along the affected nerve. Severe cases may require surgery.

Common causes include:

  • Certain movements or activities
  • Aging
  • Unnatural twists or turns
  • Lifting heavy objects
  • Obesity
  • Weak muscles
  • A sedentary lifestyle

Slipped discs are more common with aging and in men.

How Is a Slipped Disc Diagnosed? 

If you experience recurring back pain, consult your doctor or a physical therapist who will review your medical history and examine you for muscle weakness or numbness. Diagnostic tests may include X-rays, CT scans, MRI scans, EMG, or myelograms to detect the extent of damage and nerve compression. Based on the results, you may be referred to a specialist or physical therapist for appropriate treatment.

Treatment Options for Slipped Disc: Treatment ranges from conservative to surgical, depending on pain severity and disc displacement. Options include:

  • Rest: Avoid high-impact activities, but stay active with low-impact exercises like yoga or swimming.
  • Hot and Cold Packs: Applying hot and cold packs can soothe pain, reduce swelling, and relieve stiffness.
  • Medications: Over-the-counter pain relievers like acetaminophen or ibuprofen. For severe pain, a doctor may prescribe stronger pain relievers, muscle relaxants, or nerve pain medications.
  • Cortisone Injections: Provide temporary relief from inflammation around compressed nerves.
  • Physical Therapy: Strengthens back and surrounding muscles, with tailored exercises to relieve pressure on the spine.
  • Surgery: As a last resort for significant pain or severe displacement, minimally invasive spine procedures can remove part or all of a damaged disc and decompress pinched nerves.

Physical therapy is crucial for post-operative rehabilitation, helping you recover mobility and ensuring proper healing.

If a slipped disc is causing considerable pain and affecting your quality of life, schedule an appointment with PHYWorld’s top-rated therapists. We offer exceptional care, pain management strategies, and physiotherapy for spine and joint conditions, helping you recover and avoid future injuries.

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