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• HNP and Back Pain

HNP and Back Pain – How Are They Linked?

HNP and back pain are often closely related. HNP stands for “herniated nucleus pulposus,” and is more commonly known as a herniated disc. It occurs as part of the natural aging process, due to the gradual deterioration of an intervertebral disc. In response to declining elasticity and water content over the years, a disc can bulge, collapse, or deteriorate, sometimes to the point where the nucleus pulposus – the soft, gel-like inner material – pushes through the outer disc wall and extrudes into the spinal canal. But how can this result in back pain?

HNP Symptoms

HNP can certainly result in back pain, although the link between the two isn't as clear as you might think. That's because a herniated disc by itself usually does not result in back pain. In fact, you might have one or more herniated discs at this very moment, at any level of your spine, that are purely asymptomatic. HNP will only result in back pain when the inner disc material that is seeping into the spinal canal places pressure on a nearby spinal nerve, or the spinal cord itself. It is this nerve compression that causes the potentially debilitating symptoms associated with a herniated disc, not the herniation itself.

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Treatment

If HNP is causing you back pain, your doctor will most likely recommend you try physical therapy, exercise, hot/cold therapy, pain medications, or any of a variety of other conservative, nonsurgical treatment methods. These treatments have proven be very effective in managing the symptoms of HNP for a large number of people. However, some individuals fail to find relief through conservative treatments, and instead turn to elective surgery. If you have tried conservative treatments for weeks or months without any relief, contact Laser Spine Institute today to learn about our revolutionary endoscopic procedures. Tens of thousands of patients have relied on our safe, effective procedures to help them rediscover their lives without back and neck pain.

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