1-

• Contact Laser Spine Institute
• Request MRI Review
• Medical Spine Seminar

You are here

• Home
• »
• Spine Conditions
• »
• Related Information
• »
• Degenerative Disc Articles
• »
• Disc Problems

Disc Problems

Most back and neck pain experienced by a patient can typically be traced back to underlying disc problems. Whether a product of a bulging disc or degenerative disc disease, nerve compression frequently accompanies any disc disorder, leading to pain and other symptoms.

Disc problems can occur anywhere along the spine, but they are most commonly exhibited in the lumbar spine (lower back) because of the extensive range of motion and immense weight load of the lower back. Problems in the cervical spine (the neck) also are not uncommon.

When a disc becomes bulged, ruptured, herniated, or thinned, it extrudes from its natural resting place between the intervertebral discs in the spine. Disc material can can come into contact with the neighboring nerve structures – either on the spinal cord or on the nerve roots as they branch off the spinal cord on their way to other parts of the body. When these nerves become interfered with, a variety of disc problems can present, such as local pain, radiating pain (radiculopathy), sciatica, muscle weakness, numbness and tingling in the extremities, and more – with the specific symptoms depending on the pathology of the disc problem. For example, a pinched nerve in the neck can cause shoulder problems, while an irritated nerve in the lower back may be the cause of weakness in the legs.

Disc problems can be caused by injury or degenerative disc disease, but are most often caused by the latter – meaning they are simply a natural consequence of the aging process. As a person ages, intervertebral discs lose protein and water content, causing discs to weaken and increasing the likelihood of the disc becoming herniated. A thinning disc can present other problems such as fragmented disc material irritating nerves, or the formation of bone spurs when the hard, bony vertebrae lose their cushioning and rub together. Normally, a doctor can manage the symptoms of disc problems non-surgically, with a conservative treatment plan. This can include:

• Physical therapy – stretching and strength exercises
• Painkillers – either over-the-counter or prescription
• The application of heat or ice packs – heat draws blood and nutrients to the damaged area, while cold reduces swelling and spasms
• Epidural steroid injections – these injections reduce nerve inflammation and pain, but they do not treat the source of the pain (in other words, they don’t shrink a bulging disc or bone spur)
• More

Click Here to see how you can get your life back in 5 days

In the event that a patient’s disc problems are not sufficiently treated with any conservative approach, a variety of elective surgical options are available to help alleviate pain. At Laser Spine Institute (LSI), our award-winning team of spinal surgeons manages back and neck pain stemming from disc problems with a variety of minimally invasive endoscopic surgical procedures. Our procedures are done on an outpatient basis and do not have much of the inherent risk that is typically associated with traditional open-back or open-neck surgery. To learn more about the revolutionary procedures offered at LSI and for a free review of your MRI or CT scan, contact us today.

Please note: Laser Spine Institute currently does not perform endoscopic procedures on the thoracic spine.