Carolann's herniated disc made daily living difficult. When she learned she needed herniated disc surgery, she turned to the Bonati Spine Institute. Years after her herniated disc surgery, she is still living pain free.

Many people suffer from neck pain, back pain, leg pain, or weakness of the muscles in the extremities due to a herniated disc. A herniated disc frequently happens in the lower area of the spine (lumbar spine). A herniated disc in the lumbar, occurs 15 times more often than cervical (neck) disc herniation, and it is one of the most common causes of sciatica or lower back pain.

A herniated disc occurs when one of the discs located between the vertebrae in the spine gets damaged. These discs act as shock absorbers and keep the vertebrae from rubbing painfully against each other. There are several terms used to describe disc pathology, including herniated disc, bulging disc, and pinched nerve.

The discs become less elastic with age and more vulnerable to injury. As the discs become less elastic, they can rupture due to stress on the body.

When a disc ruptures, a portion of the spinal disc pushes outside its normal boundary. This is called a herniated disc. When a disc bulges out from between the vertebrae, it constricts the spinal nerves that are located very close to the disc. Therefore, the spinal nerves and spinal cord can become compressed causing pain, numbness, weakness and other herniated disc symptoms.

There is normally enough extra space around the spinal cord and spinal nerves, but if too much of the herniated disc is bulging, these structures may be compressed. When you have a symptomatic herniated disc, it is the not the disc itself that is painful, but the pain caused by the disc compressing the nerve that causes you to feel pain. A herniated disc is also often referred to as a slipped disc.

Lumbar herniated discs are a common problem in healthcare. They most often affect people aged 3550. While a lumbar herniated disc is painful, the symptoms do not usually last long. Approximately 90% of patients diagnosed with a lumbar herniated disc have no symptoms after 6 weeks, even if they do not seek treatment.

Rarely, a lumbar herniated disc can cause cauda equina syndrome, which is caused by compression of the cauda equina (a bundle of nerve roots at the bottom of spinal cord). Cauda equine is a serious condition that should be treated immediately. If cauda equina syndrome is not treated quickly, it may result in neurological and physical problems such as paralysis, impaired bowel or bladder control, and difficulty walking.

Herniated discs occur most often in the lumbar spine. They commonly inflame or press against a nearby nerve and cause pain to radiate along the length of the nerve. This is the most common cause of sciatica, pain that radiates down the leg along the sciatic nerve. Symptoms of lumbar herniated discs include:

Leg pain: although the herniated disc is in the back, the leg pain is usually worse than the back pain. Pain that radiates down the back of the leg is generally called lumbar radiculopathy or sciatica.
Nerve pain: sharp, shearing, electric, piecing or radicular pain is the most common symptom described for a herniated disc.
Variable location of symptoms: depending on the degree of the herniation and where the disc herniates, patients may experience symptoms in the low back, buttock, back or front of the thigh, the calf, foot and/or toes. The symptoms generally affect only one side of the body.
Neurological symptoms: tingling, numbness, pinsandneedles, and weakness in the leg, foot, and/or toes.
Foot drop: patients may experience difficulty lifting the foot when standing or walking on the ball of the foot.

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