Herniated Disc Essay

799 Words2 Pages

What you need to know about herniated discs

What is a herniated disc?
The term herniated disc refers to an unnatural protrusion of the spinal disc between vertebrae. The disc is an intervertebral piece of cartilage (it lies between the bones of the spine) that is smooth, rubber-like and absorbs shock. It allows slight movement of the vertebrae and acts as a ligament that holds everything in the spine together.

Intervertebral discs consist of an outer fibrous ring called the annulus fibrosus, which surrounds the inner gel-like center, the nucleus pulposus. If you imagine a jelly-filled donut, the cake portion of the donut is the annulus fibrosus and the jelly is the nucleus pulposus. However, this is no ordinary donut, it has been fried and re-dipped in batter several times, creating multiple layers …show more content…

When this happens, you experience a herniated disc.

A bulging disc is typically less severe than a herniated disc and means the dough-like portion of the disc becomes misshapen but the jelly is still contained inside.

What causes a herniated disc?
A herniated disc can be caused by trauma to the disc, but more often it occurs because of chronic deterioration, typically characterized by poor posture. Poor posture adds extra weight to the front of the intervertebral disc, forcing the nucleus pulposus out toward the spinal cord and nerve fibers.

The good news is poor posture can be easily corrected, which will redirect the forces applied to the intervertebral disc. The bad news is a lot of people have poor posture.

How common is a herniated disc?
Herniate discs are very common and become more common with age. However, not all herniated discs will cause symptoms. Research shows that 30% of 20-year-old’s have disc herniation with no back pain as well as 84% of 80-year

More about Herniated Disc Essay

Open Document