View source for Spine Health: What Are The Symptoms And Treatments Of A Herniated Disc?



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Herniated Disc Symptoms:


Symptoms of the herniated disc may differ relying on the position of the disc and the size of the herniation. If the herniated disc is not compressing on a nerve, the patient might encounter spinal pain (cervical, lumbar, and/ or thoracic) or no pain at all.


Arm or leg pain: 


If the patient has a herniated disk in his/her lower back, he/she may feel pain in his/her buttocks, thigh, and calf.  If the herniated disk is in the neck, patients may experience pain in the shoulder and arm. Patients may experience sharp pain in the shoulder and arm. 


Numbness or tingling: 


People having herniated disk may experience a radiating numbness or tingle in the parts which are served by affected nerves.


Weakness: muscles containing the affected nerves are likely to weaken. This can affect the ability to lift or hold items of an individual. 


How to Diagnose?


Your doctor will perform a physical examination to determine the patient’s back for tenderness. During the examination, the doctor will ask the patient to lie flat and move his/her legs in various different positions to identify the root cause of the pain. Moreover, the doctor may also conduct a neurological examination to check on your reflexes, muscle strength, walking ability, and ability to feel light touches, pinpricks, or vibration. 


Most patients with the herniated disk are asked about their medical history as it is essential for a diagnosis. If doctors have doubts about another condition, they will perform some tests to determine which nerves are affected. Doctors may prescribe X-rays, CT scans, MRIs, Myelogram, Electromyography (EMG), and Electromyograms and nerve conduction studies, to help pinpoint the cause and location of the damaged nerve. 


Herniated Disk Treatments:


Conservative treatment:


Initially, doctors recommend modifications in activities of daily life to avoid certain movements that cause pain and discomfort. Moreover, they may prescribe some over-the-counter medications including acetaminophen (Tylenol, others) ibuprofen (Advil, Motrin IB, others), or naproxen sodium (Aleve). 


Medications


If patients’ pain is mild to moderate, you may be recommended OTC pain medications to relieve the symptoms for a few weeks. 
 

Cortisone injections:


If the patient does not get relief pain from the OTC medications, doctors might prescribe corticosteroids delivered to the area around the spinal nerves through the injections. 


Muscle relaxers:


When the patient has muscle spasms, the doctor will prescribe muscle relaxers. This may have some side effects like sedation and dizziness. 


Opioids: 


Since opioids have side effects and the potential for addictions, most doctors might not consider this option for disk herniation. If other medicines fail to ease the pain symptoms, doctors may prescribe opioids for a short period of time such as codeine or an oxycodone-acetaminophen combination (Percocet, Roxicet). These drugs have side effects such as Sedation, nausea, confusion, and constipation.


Therapy:


Doctors might recommend physical therapy to minimize your pain. Physical therapists may guide you with the positions and exercises specially designed to reduce the pain of herniated disk. 


Surgical treatment at '''[https://spineandjoint.com/ Spine Center]''' New Jersey:


Who needs surgical treatment?


When patients have excessive strain or injury causing herniated disc requiring its replacement, they need to go through surgical treatment. In addition, as people age, the ligaments that hold the disc in place start to weaken causing it to rupture. Such candidates also need surgical treatments.