A herniated disk occurs when a spinal disk – which is the soft cushioning that lies between two vertebras – ruptures and pushes its way out of its usual space. When this happen, it touches the nerves in the spinal column and this is what produces the pain that ensues. When one is young, these disks are usually elastic and supple but as one grows older, they become less elastic and rigid and any strain can mean that they tear or rupture. The moment they go out of position, they can hit against the spinal cord as well as the spinal nerves and these can get compressed. If the disk does not push its way out too much, the space around the spine is enough so no damage is done. However, with movement, this disk could keep moving around and at some point of time, it could touch either of these sensitive parts. The reason this is called a herniated disk is because ‘herniate’ means to push out or to bulge.
So how do you know if you have a herniated disk? What are the symptoms of this condition? Very often, you could feel a tingling in your back or it could even be pins and needles. Whatever it is, the sensation will be unlike what you normally feel. Sometimes, you could get a feeling of electric shocks that suddenly occur in the back. This could just be a shock-like feeling or it could be pulsations of pain. When this occurs, it means that the spine or spinal nerves are getting compressed. You might then feel the pain in your arms if the herniated disk is further up on the spine or in your lower back if the problem is lower down. In many cases, the pain runs down the legs. The extent of the pain is the extent of pressure that the disk is exerting on the nerves or the spinal cord. Sometimes, there’s a numb sensation in the legs when this occurs.
You’ll find that when you are moving around is when the pain gets worse and rest always makes it better. Some people could suffer from bad pain if they have the problem and something as simple as coughing or sneezing occurs. Sitting down for a long time also makes things worse and you might want to lie down for a while to feel better. Moving around helps as well rather than be in one position for a long time.
Herniated disks could also make the muscles weaker as the nerve signals do not work properly when something is exerting pressure against the spine. It could also affect the bladder functions so any increase of decrease in urine must be communicated to the doctor.
The most common area of occurrence is in the lower spine or the lumbar region. Unfortunately, this is not just a disease of older people though they run a risk because of their disks getting rigid as they age. Whether it is stress, smoking, the modern lifestyle, not enough sleep or whatever, more and more people in their 30s and 40s are suffering from it.