Common Signs of a Herniated Disc

The bones or vertebrae forming the spinal cord in the back are provided with discs that function like cushions. These discs are round in shape, with a tough outer layer enclosing the nucleus. Discs function like shock absorbers for the spinal vertebrae. A herniated disc, also called disc slip, is a piece of the disc nucleus that is separated from the nucleus and placed into the spinal canal through a split in the spinal canal.

Due to disc displacement, spinal nerves are stressed, and the patient feels pain in the back. Disc slips commonly occur in the lower back and sometimes in the neck region. The severity of pain depends on the region of the spine affected by a herniated disc. As an orthopedic surgeon in Altamonte Springs, we recommend that you give us a call when you feel any of these symptoms.

Lower Backache

In this kind of herniated disc, patients feel pain in their lower back, affecting organs like the buttocks, thigh muscles, and calf. You may also feel pain in the foot region. In this case, the disc presses the nerve resulting in the sciatic nerve that causes severe pain, burning, tingling, and numbness that emerges from the buttock and travels through the legs and the foot region. This kind of disc slip affects only one side of the body. You will feel severe pain while standing, walking, or sitting. The pain in the leg is more severe than the pain in the lower back region.

Pain in Cervical Spine

You may feel pain in the neck region or the shoulder blades in the case of cervical radiculopathy, which is a clear symptom of nerve compression in the neck. In this condition, a nerve radiates down the arm towards the hands or fingers. And causes pain and tingling in the neck or shoulder region. Moreover, certain movements or body positions further enhance the severity of pain. This is one of the common symptoms of a herniated disc.

Weakness in Muscles

Muscle weakness often results in a low impression of nerves, further weakening your muscles. This weakness causes you to stumble and affects your mobility or ability to lift things from the ground.

Other Signs of a Herniated Disc

Some other common signs of a herniated disc include:

• Feeling pain whenever you cough, sneeze, bend to lift things from the ground
• Difficulty in balancing your body weight while you are sitting, standing, or walking
• Showing slow reflexes. For example, you don't stretch your hand back immediately after touching an extremely hot metal piece.
• Difficulty in getting up if you are sitting on a chair, bench, or any other thing
• No control of bowel or bladder

A herniated disc or disc slip is the displacement of the spinal discs that function like a cushion or shock absorber to provide us mobility. Sometimes. These discs may rupture or slip due to some causes, and we feel it is not easy to bend, move, or lift something from the ground. Below, we have mentioned some common symptoms of disc slip in our back or neck region.

If you have a disc slip problem, you should contact our orthopedic surgeon in Altamonte Springs now.