Thursday, July 20, 2017

Facts To Know About Herniated Disc

By Eric Fox


The spinal cord is a very significant part of the human body. The spinal cord contains nerve cells that run all the way to the brain. It comes together with the brain forming the central nervous system. This enables processing of information by the brain that result to movement of arms, legs, waist, and other parts of the body from one place to another.

In order for the spine to be able to function properly, it has to be in a good condition, that is, it should not be injured in any way. Spinal cord injuries can result to various conditions. Herniated disc is a spinal cord injury that is caused by automobile accident. This condition results due to stress put on the spine during the accident.

The spinal disc refers to a structure that serves as a shock absorber and it holds the spine in case an accident occurs. When it comes to herniation in discs, one should know that the stress put to the spinal cord during vehicular collision forces discs out of their normal position. This means that the spinal cord can no longer absorb shock, hence the medical condition called hernia of spinal cord.

An individual suffering from this condition has recurrent back, neck or leg pain. This comes as a result of difference in the normal organization of the spinal cord which is affected or weakened during the accident. This prevents it from performing its duties effectively. When the disc is dislocated from position, it leads to creation of protrusion in the outer ring of the spine thus causing discomfort and pain.

The condition normally occurs in the lower back area. It can also be caused by natural aging of the spine. This shows that there are chances of one suffering from the condition in their life. It mostly affects the old people than young. In young people, their discs have enough water thus they are rarely affected. As they grow old, the discs also dry slowly and weaken thus becoming prone to wear and tear.

Apart from aging, there are some other factors that cause the problem, one is gender. Men have higher chances of suffering from this hernia than women. Men lift bulky objects. Therefore, their muscles move now and then making them more prone to this disease. At some point, weight can also cause the problem because of stress placed on the discs at the lower areas. It is advisable that people should avoid remaining sitted for long periods or driving for long distances.

To determine whether one has the problem or not one has to get a full physical body examination by a doctor. Having frequent back pain, leg or foot pain, weakness in legs or tingling sensation may indicative of hernia. So if one registers this symptom they need to seek quick medical advice.

The problem can be prevented and treated at an early stage, one can undergo nonsurgical treatment such as bed rest, the doctor can also prescribe some ant-inflammatory medications to relieve pain or one may need to undergo physical therapy that involves specific exercises to strengthen the lower back. The most important thing to do to prevent the condition is to eat properly and exercise regularly.




About the Author:



No comments:

Post a Comment