The most common herniated disk occurs in the lower back, but it can also occur in the neck. Disks can cause different symptoms depending on where they are located and whether they press on nerves. One side of the body is usually affected by herniated disks. Your buttocks, thigh, and calf are often painful when you have a herniated disk in your lower back. Additionally, you may feel pain in parts of your foot. There are three major signs and symptoms associated with a herniated disk.

Shoulder and arm pain are usually the most painful symptoms of a herniated disk in your neck. Coughing, sneezing, or moving into certain positions can cause this pain to shoot into your arms or legs. There is often a feeling of sharpness or burning when you are in pain.

Nerves that are affected by a herniated disk may radiate numbness or tingling in the affected body part.

As a result of nerve damage, muscles served by these nerves tend to weaken. As a result, you may stumble or have difficulty lifting or holding items.

It is possible to have a herniated disk without experiencing any symptoms. In most cases, you won’t realize you have it unless a spinal image shows it.

Conservative treatments like gentle exercise or over-the-counter pain medications usually work well for herniated discs. However, some ruptured disc symptoms necessitate a visit to your doctor in order to prevent serious nerve damage.

Sometimes, a ruptured disc causes no symptoms; other times, it causes radiating, debilitating pain. In most cases, herniated discs don’t require spine surgery and can be treated non-surgically.

There are, however, certain herniated symptoms that may indicate potentially serious complications that require immediate medical attention. Symptoms such as loss of bladder control, loss of fine motor skills, dizziness, and more, can all indicate a medical emergency.

There are many people who live with back pain hoping it will go away or try to treat it with home remedies that may provide temporary relief but then the pain returns. Symptoms of back pain can range from something as benign as sitting for an extended period of time to something more serious.

Your spine specialist is more likely to offer you non-surgical treatment options if you seek medical attention for a herniated disc as soon as possible. During your first visit, your doctor will use diagnostic imaging tools such as X-rays and CT scans to get an accurate picture of the affected area. Your spine specialist will be able to identify any soft tissue damage as well as spinal damage with an X-ray and CT scan, respectively.

In the absence of treatment, it is impossible for many of the herniated disc symptoms to worsen. This can lead to worsening pain, spreading pain, chronic pain, soft tissue damage, and even nerve pain, in extreme cases.

Herniated discs can be treated with a variety of treatments, ranging from rest to surgery. The majority of people who suffer from a herniated disc only need to rest and prevent the disc from getting worse. Nevertheless, if your symptoms do not subside after six weeks, you may need to see an orthopedic surgeon. An orthopedic surgeon is capable of treating herniated lumbar discs in various ways.

The herniated disc is removed during a minimally invasive lumbar discectomy. The surgeon may be able to use a minimally invasive procedure called microdiscectomy on the patient depending on their condition. A surgeon may remove all or part of the damaged material with this surgical option, which involves smaller incisions than traditional surgery.

The spinal cord is protected by bone tissue called the lamina. Herniated discs can be treated during a lumbar laminotomy by removing the lamina. The procedure of removing only part of a lamina is called a laminotomy. A laminectomy is a procedure that removes all or most of the fibrous tissue.

Treatment will be dictated by the unique symptoms and severity of each patient’s herniated lumbar disc. Whatever the extent of treatment is required from non-invasive to surgical procedures; it can be provided by an orthopedic surgeon.

A herniated lumbar disc can be treated at the Orthopedic Group. We serve patients from Leesburg VA, Lansdowne VA, Stone Springs VA, Dulles, VA, Ashburn VA, Sterling VA, Aldie VA, South Riding VA, Herndon VA, Winchester VA, Reston VA, Chantilly VA and nearby areas!