Herniated Disc

Manassas Herniated Disc Experts at Manassas Spinal Decompression

A disc is the cushion that is between your bones (vertebrae) in the neck and back. As your spine begins to age, many individuals experience a process called Degenerative Disc Disease which starts to set in. For many patients, this process starts at a young age that may have been due to an injury that caused inflammation in their spine or to developmental defects in their spine. Regardless of how the patient obtained a herniated disc, if you have a herniated disc or a bulging disc then you are on the road to the Degenerative Disc Disease process.

The inside of your disc is very similar to the center of a jelly doughnut. The medical term is the Nucleus Pulposis. Your nucleus pulposis contains a watery gel-like mixture which is similar to the example of the jelly doughnut. When the watery gel-like mixture material "herniates" outside of its normal position, there is a tear in the annular fibers and the gel-like mixture goes out through that tear and puts pressure on the surrounding nerves or your spinal cord. This is what causes the severe pain you may be experiencing. In the event there is enough pressure, the watery gel-like mixture can actually pinch the front of your spinal cord or nerves and cause severe pain and radiate symptoms into your legs or even your arms depending on where the herniated disc is.

There are 3 main types of herniated discs you may suffer from:

1. Protruding 2. Extruding 3. Sequestered

Protruding Herniated Disc is when the watery gel-like mixture is coming through the tear in your disc. The watery gel-like mixture can put pressure on the nerves or spinal cord and cause you severe pain. It is important to know that these types of disc problems can progress for many years and go undetected and all of a sudden the patient can experience severe pain and not know why. The process of a protruding herniated disc can take years and the patient can bend or twist a certain way and then have the pain come on very quickly. The underlying problem could have been progressing for many years and the individual could actually be far along into the stages of severe Degenerative Disc Disease before they experience any pain.

Extruding Herniated Disc occurs when the watery gel-like mixture has come out from the annular fibers and then is flowing down (or up) like lava in your spinal column. This problem is more severe compared to a protruding herniated disc and in some instances surgeons will operate on it and some will not. The reason why this problem is more severe is because it is the final stage before the actual watery gel-like mixture can literally break off and become free floating within your spinal column.

Sequestered Herniated Disc is when a piece of the watery gel-like mixture has actually broken off and is now free floating within your spinal column.

What is a Disc Bulge or a Bulging Disc?

A bulging disc means that the watery gel-like mixture has not herniated as of yet. The annular fibers have not torn through but have been stretched or partially torn to a certain extent. The watery gel-like mixture itself can be pushed out and pinch the spinal cord or spinal nerves and cause pain similar to a true herniated disc. The bulging disc is just another example of the process of Degenerative Disc Disease. If it goes untreated, the disc compresses down with time and loses its water content which makes it dehydrated and dessicated. Even though this is not an actual herniation, this is still a very serious health condition and should be treated in a serious manner.

In some cases patients have progressed so far in the Degenerative Disc Disease process that their spinal joints may have enlarged. When they sit their arthritic joints can cause severe pain in addition to when it's coupled with a bulging or herniated disc.

Many of our patients are able to get their lives back from what would be an otherwise debilitating disease process. Through major technological advances in non surgical spinal decompression, discs can be taken through a natural process that has helped many people live their lives without major surgery or other invasive procedures.

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