Getting Smart About Disc Problems

Vertebral Disc problems are very painful. They haunt you with excruciating and shooting pain. Vertebral is a plate or disc of cartilage and fiber that contains a nucleus pulpous, a mass of white elastic fiber in its center situated between the vertebrae or bones of the spinal column. 

Learn more about disc problems from one of the reputed neurosurgeon in Chennai. Disc problems tend to deteriorate with age. The deterioration or any injury or any stress can bring on painful disorder known as slipped disc, herniated disc, pinched nerve or ruptured disc. In the herniated disc when the disc ruptures or slips, the white elastic fibers protrude through the cartilage exerting pressure on the adjacent nerve root generating unbearable pain in the effected area.

A herniated disc can be completely painless at times, but the degenerative disc can produce intense pain. Degenerative means that the condition is likely to deteriorate with time. Most patients of degenerative disc will periodically experience continuous tolerable pain followed by increasing intense pain which will automatically go down after some time. 

It is a cyclic process. A patient with a pinched nerve will experience a radicular pain commonly known as nerve root pain, radiculopathy or sciatica pain and from the disc itself the patient will usually experience an axial pain. The sciatica nerve is the widest and longest nerve in the body running from the spinal column to the lower leg which branches in to two parts. 

It can be damaged due to different kinds of injury in the back, in pelvis and in the lower legs. Injury to the nerve generates a shooting pain from the thigh to the feet and the toes. Intense pain due to disc problems can immobilize you necessitating immediate attention of the doctor but it does not mean that intense pain is related to the amount of disc damage.

Diagnosis and Treatment

An accurate diagnosis of the disc problems is done through medical examination, X-rays and CT or MRI scan. These scans are very accurate in identifying whether the source of pain is from a pinched nerve or because of the disc space. 

The most common treatment is strict bed rest on a hard mattress placed over a hard board until the symptoms have subsided and non steroidal and anti inflammatory drugs. For severe pain flare ups oral steroids and injections may have to administered to reduce the inflammation and the pain. 

For a herniated disc patient physical therapy, exercise, gentle stretching, application of heat, ice and pain relieving medicines will relieve the effected portion of any pain. The pain can also be removed through surgery by removing herniated portion of the white elastic fibers protruding towards the adjacent nerve root. 

In the degenerative disc problem fusion surgery stops the motion of the painful portion of effected part thereby considerably reducing pain or artificial disc replacement is done. However most of the disc problems get better with passage of time and therefore surgery may not be needed, but if there is no relief then surgery is the best option.

Disc problems, Vertebral, slipped disc, herniated disc, pinched nerve or ruptured disc, degenerative disc, sciatica pain

3 Types of Back Pain Problems

Before seeking for medical treatment from neurosurgeons on your back pain issues, it is good to understand and define the types of back pain you are experiencing so as to find the right treatment or ways to control your condition.

Here are the types of back pain that has been separated into 3 categories:

Acute pain

One of the most common type of back pain is acute pain. Such condition usually related to tissue damage and can potentially last for about 3 to 6 months. You are likely to experience a cutting sensation on your back or needle pricking sensation. As the condition gets worst, the pain can be as bad as touching your skin on a hot stove or iron. The sensation occurs in a fast, immediate, intense manner, which will cause a withdrawal syndrome at the area. Another acute sensation would feel like as if a hammer was smashing on one's finger. Such sensation gives you the immediate pain and withdrawal syndrome.

Chronic pain

There are at least two different types of chronic pain problems for back pain issues as follow:

Chronic pain due to an identifiable pain generator

This type of chronic pain is due to a clearly diagnosed and identified. Certain structural spine conditions may cause pain for a long term until it is medically treated. These conditions are due to a diagnosable anatomical problem. If the pain has yet to subside after a few weeks or months of conservative non-operative treatments, then spine surgery may need to be one of your treatment options.

Chronic pain with no identifiable pain generator

This condition continues beyond the point of tissue healing and usually, unidentifiable. Such chronic condition in the nervous system may send pain signals even when there isn't any continuous tissue damage. Chronic condition is generally used to describe sensation that is ongoing for around three to six months, or tissues have reached a point that they are unable to heal. Chronic pain is usually identified as back pains without an obvious cause or reason. Failed back surgery and fibromyalgia could also be one of the chronic pain. Chronic pain is influenced by depression and anxiety, and even the thoughts of one when it comes to pain. Lack of exercises and ongoing pain signal input to the nervous system could also affect a person even without tissue damage.

Neuropathic pain

Neuropathic condition usually shown symptoms that are not related to the condition or injury of one. This condition causes nerves to send pain signals to the brain even when there is no ongoing tissue damage. Neuropathic condition is unlike pain that is caused by an underlying injury. Usually when one does not fully understand the condition of neuropathic pain, they believe that injury to the sensory or motor nerves in the peripheral nervous system can potentially cause neuropathy. 

Neuropathic problem has a hint of musculoskeletal nature and a combination of the usual unpleasant sensation as mentioned above. However, Neuropathic condition feels different compared to usual musculoskeletal pain and is often described as severe, sharp, piercing, stabbing, burning, cold, and numbness, tingling or weakness. This sensation will travel along the nerve path from the spine down to the arms and hands or legs and feet. It's important to understand the symptoms of neuropathic pain so that you will seek the correct treatment.

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