Your intervertebral discs are the durable material between your individual spinal vertebrae. They help provide you with shock absorption and make up a percentage of your overall height. Degeneration in the discs is a major contributing factor in decreased height as people age.
The discs themselves have very little blood supply and receive their nutrition from movements like walking and breathing. However, if stress is applied consistently and unevenly over a period of time, the material in the center of the disc can gradually work its way through the many fibrous layers of the disc and eventually protrude or bulge causing pressure or irritation to the spinal cord or nerve roots. Typically, pressure results in areas of numbness or muscle weakness, where irritation can cause shooting or burning pain.
If herniation is suspected, sometimes special imaging such as MRI is necessary to determine the exact location of the damage. The good news is that most disc herniations do not require surgery and can be treated very effectively with spinal decompression and associated modalities.
Your intervertebral discs are the durable material between your individual spinal vertebrae. They help provide you with shock absorption and make up a percentage of your overall height. Degeneration in the discs is a major contributing factor in decreased height as people age.
The discs themselves have very little blood supply and receive their nutrition from movements like walking and breathing. However, if stress is applied consistently and unevenly over a period of time, the material in the center of the disc can gradually work its way through the many fibrous layers of the disc and eventually protrude or bulge causing pressure or irritation to the spinal cord or nerve roots. Typically, pressure results in areas of numbness or muscle weakness, where irritation can cause shooting or burning pain.
If herniation is suspected, sometimes special imaging such as MRI is necessary to determine the exact location of the damage. The good news is that most disc herniations do not require surgery and can be treated very effectively with spinal decompression and associated modalities.
