Herniated Disc’s As a Cause of Sciatica
Posted on July 20, 2009
Filed Under Sciatica | Leave a Comment
A herniated disc is a very painful condition, sometimes the pain can be associated with only the back and other times you may get sciatica. This creates an even more debilitating condition.
A herniated disc is the end product of a weakened out disc called the annulus fibrosis allowing the softer more pliable central portion of the disc the nucleus pulposis to migrate it’s way through.
In research studies only the outer 1/3 of the disc has been shown to contain pain sensitive fibers. Therefore damage can accumulate over time before the person ever feels any pain.
Repetitive activities, incorrect sitting postures and trauma are usually to blame when it comes to herniated disc pain. These activities weaken the outer annulus allowing migration of the inner portion of the disc.
Local back pain is usually the first sign of a disc problem. As the nucleus moves it’s way out it begins to contact the outer fibers irritating their pain sensitive nerve fibers.
Usually a short period of relief may follow the initial beginnings of back pain related to a disc injury. As the activities responsible are modified the pain may lessen.
Once a bout of disc related pain begins however, the research shows it is almost always likely to come back without proper treatment. This is often dangerous for unsuspecting people who think they are out of the woods.
Once the pain returns it is usually worse and as the pain returns over and over again it usually starts with move it’s way down the leg or arm as the nerves become affected.
As pain moves into the lower extremity the term often used to describe this is called sciatica. This is accurate when the sciatic nerve is affected.
Sciatica can be caused by direct compression on the nerve from the herniated disc or from irritation caused by inflammation around the injured disc.
No matter what the underlying reason for the sciatica pain, the disc has to be treated properly. This means a functional treatment like spinal decompression.
The outer fibers of the disc are able to scar over due to the negative pressures inside the disc, created with spinal decompression pulling back in the herniated material
This treatment offers the best long term strategy to deal with sciatica caused by a herniated disc.
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