Back Bulging Disc - Symptoms, Causes, and Effective Therapies
A bulging spinal disc can be one of the most frustrating spinal conditions to heal, and can cause quite a bit of pain and disability. Fortunately, there are some good solutions available, even for the person suffering with the most severe pain from a bulging disc.
This article will discuss what a herniated disc is, as well as the causes, symptoms, and therapies available for relief. But before we discuss these details, we need to have a basic understanding of what a spinal disc is, as well as how it functions.
The discs of the spine are cushions that separate each set of bones in the spine. They are very important, because they separate the bones and prevent them from rubbing together when you move (which would be very painful). They also absorb shock so the bones don’t break when force is applied to the spine.
Each spinal disc is composed of a strong outer covering called the annulus, and a soft jelly center called the nucleus. When a person suffers from a bulging back disc, the outer layer of the disc tears, and the nucleus begins to shift through where the disc is weakest. This will create a bulge in the disc.
If you look closely at the spine, you will see that the nerves of the spine are located directly behind each spinal disc. This is an important point to understand when we begin to discuss the symptoms associated with bulging discs in back, because the nerves are truly what cause most of these symptoms.
In fact, the spinal discs are actually designed to not feel pain. I realize that this may sound strange at first, but if you think about it, this actually makes sense when you consider their function of shock absorption. If the discs could cause you to feel pain directly, you would be hurting all day long, with every movement you make.
So, if this is true, why does this condition cause so much pain? The reason is because of the spinal nerves – when the disc herniates, it tends to bulge where the nerve is located, and will apply pressure on the affected nerve.
You have to realize that the spinal nerves control everything in the body, so this condition will not only cause pain, but also malfunctioning of whatever body parts the nerve controls.
For example, if you have a bulging disc / herniated disc in your neck, not only will you have neck pain, but you may also develop problems with your arms and hands, chest pains, heart problems, headaches, and even blurred vision and ringing in the ears.
Bulging discs in the middle back will result in mid back pain, traveling pain around the rib cage, chest pains, and even digestive problems (because the nerves in the middle back control the gall bladder and liver, which are important for digestion).
In the lower back, a bulging back disc will cause low back pain, pain radiating into the legs, weakness in the legs and problems walking, as well as problems with your bowel and bladder.
In fact, these other symptoms associated with the nerves of the spine tend to be even more aggravating than the back pain associated with a herniated intervertebral disc because they really affect a person’s normal ability to function.
The cause of herniated discs is usually an injury of some sort. Whether it be a car accident, or lifting something heavy, these are the types of traumas that may cause this condition to develop.
There are other factors that cause this condition as well. Genetics plays a role, so if you have a family member (or members) who have developed a back condition, you may have a genetic predisposition to develop a herniated disc.
Your lifestyle also plays a role in the development of herniated discs. Smokers, for examples, tend to have a higher likelihood of developing a bulging disc / herniated disc because toxins will break down the strong wall of the disc. Poor diet also plays a role, as well as a lack of exercise.
The therapies available for herniated discs are often somewhat discouraging, unfortunately. Most doctors will begin by recommending medications (usually pain relievers and muscle relaxers), pain injections (such as cortisone and epidurals), physical therapy, and surgery as a last resort.
These treatments will tend to only provide temporary relief, at best. The reason for this is because they are primarily designed to numb the affected nerve. Although this may sound good on the surface, because the nerve is what causes you to experience the pain, if you don’t address the cause of the problem (which is the herniated disc), the pain will return.
Some may say, “Well, wait a minute – doesn’t surgery address the disc?” And the answer would be, not exactly. The surgeries that are available for herniated discs will either remove the bulging area of the disc, or remove the spinal disc completely and fuse the bones above and below together.
In the first case, the disc will typically bulge again after a period of time, because even if they remove this area of the disc, the disc does not heal with the surgery and the problem will tend to return after a period of time. A spinal fusion is even worse – this causes the discs above and below this area to work extra hard, and the problem will then spread to other areas of the back.
There are other treatment options available that are more effective, however most doctors are not familiar with them. In fact, it is really a combination of treatments that I have found to be most successful with this condition.
If you would like to learn more about the most effective therapies for a back bulging disc, as well as the combination of those therapies that I recommend for the best results, you can click here (bulging disc / herniated disc) to get all the details.
About the Author: Dr. Ron Daulton, Jr. is a chiropractor, national speaker, and published author who specializes in spinal disc conditions.
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