Often referred to as a slipped disc, a herniated disc is a medical condition that affects the intervertebral disc in the spine. The discs in your spine are made up of a soft inner substance and a tough outer shell. A herniated disc occurs when the inner substance bulges or ruptures through the tough outer shell. This in itself is not always painful; it usually becomes painful only when the bulged disc material puts pressure on the surrounding nerve roots or the spinal cord.

A herniated disc usually develops as a result of an existing disc protrusion. A disc protrusion is a condition where the outer shell of the disc has weakened to the point that pressure will cause the disc to bulge, but pressure is not constant.

What Are Common Herniated Disc Symptoms?

Depending on where the herniated disc is and which tissue or nerves are involved, herniated disc symptoms will vary. If the only tissue that is injured is the disc, there may be little to no pain at all, making it pretty difficult to know if you actually suffer from a herniated disc. If your nerve roots or spinal cord are being pinched by the herniated disc, symptoms of pain ranging from mild to extreme could present itself in your neck or lower back and extremities, depending on the location of the herniated disc. If you have a herniated disc in the cervical (neck) segment of your spine you will feel the symptoms in your head, neck, shoulders, arms, hands, and fingers. Herniated disc symptoms vary in severity depending on the extent of the disc herniation. If you suffer from a herniated disc in the lumber (lower back) segment of your spine you may feel herniated disc symptoms in your lower back, buttocks, thighs, legs, feet, and toes. Lumbar herniated discs can lead to a further condition called sciatica if the herniated disc begins to impinge the sciatic nerve.

Other common herniated disc symptoms may include sensory changes such as numbness and tingling (pins-and-needles sensation), muscular weakness, paralysis, foot drop, and affection of reflexes.

Pain caused by herniated disc symptoms is not like the pain you would feel from a muscle spasm. Muscle spasm pain is more of a pulsating pain whereas herniated disc pain is a continuous pain when the disc is affected.

Herniated Disc Causes, What Are They?

There are several different herniated disc causes but the one none of us can really avoid is age. As we age so does our spine; the discs eventually begin to degrade through time and usage (wear and tear). Although this is discouraging, you can take steps to prevent early onset of a herniated disc and extend the health of your spine. Traumatic injury is one of the leading herniated disc causes. And even a violent sneeze could cause a disc herniation. Traumatic injury in the cervical spine is often a result of whiplash whereas traumatic injury in the lower back is most often caused by lifting an object improperly.

You should watch for signs of minor back pain and chronic back tiredness because these are general indicators that your back is under increased wear and tear, which will leave you susceptible to a herniated disc. At this point, daily activities such as bending down to pick up a pencil, or even sneezing, could cause your disc to become herniated.

*Interesting Fact* The normal amount of pressure placed on a vertebral disc while lying down is 17 psi. When bending to lift an object with a rounded back or sitting down the pressure applied to a disc is close to 300 psi!