Herniated Disc Description

Patients suffering from back pain, leg pain or pain in the lower extremity muscles are often diagnosed with a herniated disc. Actually, a herniated disc would not be a problem if it were not for the spinal nerves that are very close to it.

Terms

• Different terms are used by doctors when describing spinal disc pathology and the pain related to it. These terms include pinched nerve, herniated disc, bulging disc, ruptured disc, slipped disc, torn disc, disc disease, disc protrusion, collapsed disc, and black disc.

Types

• The two types of spinal disc problems used to identify the cause of the patient's pain are pinched nerve and disc pain.

Pinched Nerve

• A pinched nerve occurs when the disc herniation is found in the nerves of the spine. This often leads to pain in other parts of the body such as the region from the lower back down to the leg or from the neck down to the arm.

Disc Pain

• With disc pain, the disc space is not only painful itself, but it also serves as a source of pain. This often causes pain in the lower back and legs.

Diagnosis

• A herniated disc can be diagnosed via physical examination with the aid of an MRI scan or CT scan.