Herniated Disc Injuries

• Also known as ruptured or slipped discs. Protruding and bulging discs have similar symptoms, but they are not always as severe in nature.

• Scientifically, a disc herniation is a condition where a tear in the outer, fibrous ring of an inter-vertebral disc allows the soft, central portion (nucleus pulposus) to bulge out.  A way to look at a herniated disc on a less scientific level is to think of a disc as a jelly doughnut.  When a disc has herniated, it means that there is a tear in the doughnut and the jelly is being squeezed out by the pressure of the vertebra.  When the jelly comes out, it may press on a nerve in the spine causing severe pain, numbness and tingling.

• Herniated disc injuries are most common in the low back, but can also occur in the neck.  In WC, we don’t often see injuries in the thoracic, or middle, part of the spine.

Symptoms

• The biggest difference between symptoms associated with a herniated disc and muscle spasms associated with a less serious “back strain” is that the pain from a muscle spasm will usually come and go, but the pain and other symptoms from a herniated disc are usually continuous.

• When a herniated disc presses on nerve roots, it can cause pain, numbness, tingling and weakness in the area of the body where the nerve associated with that particular disc travels.  Below is a illustration called a dermatome chart, which shows the nerve paths associated with various vertebral/disc levels.