Herniated Disc NYC; What You Need To Know
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Herniated Disc NYC; What You Need To Know: An Intervertebral Disc, or Spinal Disc, has two main components. The first, the annulus fibrosis, is the outer layer. This can be likened to the dough part of a jelly doughnut. The second, inner layer, comparable to the jelly portion of a jelly doughnut is known as the nucleus polposus. The inner nucleus portion functions primarily as a fulcrum for movement and as a shock absorber to handle the impacts of movement.
In order for us to better understand the function of the disc think of the jelly doughnut again. What do you think would happen if you put some pressure on the front end of that doughnut? The pressure would force the jelly to move towards the back end. Of course, the exact opposite would occur if the pressure were on the other side. Your disc is no different since it acts as a fulcrum for movement. When a disc prolapses the jelly starts to ooze out and can put pressure on near by nerve fibers. This causes symptoms most commonly known as sciatica or radiculopathy such as numbness and tingling.
Herniated Disc and Degenerative Disc Disease
As we get older our tissues dehydrate and this limits the shock absorbing capacity of the disc. The annular fibers get weaker with age and begin to tear more easily when subjected to repetitious stress. In many cases this doesn’t cause pain, while in some is does.
The medical term for disc which have begun to dehydrate is known as degenerative disc disease and if severe enough may be accompanied by bony changes termed spondylosis.
Classifying A Herniated Disc
Once a tear has arisen within the annular fibers it is highly likely that the inner nuclear material will begin to make it’s way through that tear. This is termed a herniation. All along the sides of the spine are nerve roots and spinal nerves that make their way to organs, tissues and other body parts and they are at high risk of being infringed upon by herniated disc material. A pinched nerve is when this herniated disc material begins to make contact with one or more affected nerve roots and may cause severe radiating pain, numbness, tingling and reduced ranges of motion. One can also suffer pain as a result of a ‘leaky’ disc where the jelly simply oozes out of the tear and begins to cause inflammation in the adjacent soft tissues. If the pain is nerve related it’s usually deemed a radiculopathy.
A disc injury can be termed any of the following, depending on it’s severity; slipped disc, ruptured disc, bulging disc. In medicine there are three degrees of injury that can occur to a disc:
1. Protruded Disc
2. Extrustion
3. Disc sequestration
Treating Herniated Disc
Until recently surgery was one of the only options for such a condition other then therapy. There has been a therapy gap – ‘no mans land’ – in spinal care since many people who are not surgical candidates do not respond to conventional therapy. Soon you will read about a new option that helps to bridge this gap.
Surgery may be an option for those with significant neurological deficit that have failed therapy. Additionally, the presence of sever neurological symptoms known as cauda equina syndrome is considered a surgical emergency requiring immediate attention.
A meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials by the Cochrane Collaboration concluded that “limited evidence is now available to support some aspects of surgical practice.” Recently, additional randomized controlled clinical trials have refined the indications for surgical interventions.
Only after all other means have been exhausted should surgery be considered as an option.
Herniated Disc Treatment in NYC
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