A pinched nerve is called radiculopathy and typically causes shooting pain, numbness or weakness. Depending on what nerve is pinched, it can cause pain in a variety of places. If you have a herniated disk in your lumbar spine, the pain might come down your leg , down your butt, over the hip and down the leg, says Dr. If your herniated disk is pinching a nerve in your cervical spine, it might cause arm pain or weakness that shoots down your shoulder or upper back.
The average amount of time it takes for a herniated disk to heal is four to six weeks, but it can get better within a few days depending on how severe the herniation was and where it occurred. The biggest factor in healing a herniated disk is time, because most often it will resolve on its own. Healing time also depends on what recovery looks like for you and what type of treatment you try.
You have to fit the requirements from the physical examination and medical history. And we need to have a serious conversation about how bad the pain is bothering you and affecting your quality of life.
Surgery on the spine is serious and should be weighed accordingly. Learn more about vaccine availability. Advertising Policy. How do I lift properly to prevent a back injury? Health Tools Health Tools help you make wise health decisions or take action to improve your health. Decision Points focus on key medical care decisions that are important to many health problems. Actionsets are designed to help people take an active role in managing a health condition.
Cause Wear and tear, also called disc degeneration , is the usual cause of a herniated disc. This can also happen when you injure your back. Injury can occur from: A sudden heavy strain or increased pressure to the lower back.
Sometimes a sudden twisting movement or even a sneeze will force some of the material out. Activities that are done over and over again that may stress the lower back, including poor lifting habits, prolonged exposure to vibration, and sports-related injuries. Symptoms If the herniated disc isn't pressing on a nerve, you may have an ache in the low back or no symptoms at all. Only a few people who have herniated discs have severe or troublesome symptoms.
When the disc does press on a nerve, symptoms may include: Pain that travels through the buttock and down a leg to the ankle or foot because of pressure on the sciatic nerve.
Low back pain may accompany the leg pain. Tingling "pins-and-needles" sensation or numbness in one leg that can begin in the buttock or behind the knee and extend to the thigh, ankle, or foot.
Weakness in certain muscles in one or both legs. Pain in the front of the thigh. What Happens Due to age, injury, or both, the outer layer of a spinal disc may dry out and form tiny cracks. Sometimes this causes a: Bulging disc. Some of the thick gel in the disc may leak into the cracks.
The disc may begin to bulge out from between the bones of the spine vertebrae. Ruptured disc. The gel breaks through the capsule. Free fragment. Fragments of a ruptured disc may break completely free of the disc and lodge in the spinal canal. Getting help early on can lower your chance of having lasting problems, such as the following: Pain may come and go. Pain-free periods happen less and less. Long-lasting chronic and recurring pain can develop because of continued tissue irritation caused by the disc pressing on a nerve.
Chronic pain syndrome can result from having ongoing pain, causing depression, anxiety, and trouble coping with daily life. Symptoms caused by long-term nerve root compression include loss of agility, strength, or sensation in one or both legs and feet. What Increases Your Risk Risk factors are things that increase your risk of having a herniated disc.
Risk factors that you cannot change Getting older. Being male. Having a history of back injury, previous herniated disc, or back surgery. Risk factors that you can change Your job or other activities. These may include: Long periods of sitting. Lifting or pulling heavy objects. Frequent bending or twisting of the back. Heavy physical exertion. Repetitive motions. Exposure to constant vibration such as driving. Not exercising regularly, doing strenuous exercise for a long time, or starting to exercise too strenuously after a long period of inactivity.
Nicotine and other toxins from smoking can keep spinal discs from absorbing all the nutrients they need from the blood, making disc injury more likely. Smoking also increases your sensitivity to pain. Being overweight. Carrying extra body weight especially in the stomach area may put additional strain on the lower back, although this hasn't been proved.
But being overweight often also means being in poor physical condition, with weaker muscles and less flexibility. These can lead to low back pain. When To Call Call or other emergency services immediately if: An injury causes numbness or weakness in one or both legs. Call your doctor now if: You have a new loss of bowel or bladder control. Leg pain is accompanied by persistent weakness, tingling, or numbness in any part of the leg from the buttock to the ankle or foot.
Leg pain or intermittent weakness, tingling, or numbness lasts longer than 1 week despite home treatment. You have back pain that either won't go away or builds in intensity over a few weeks. A back injury is work-related, and symptoms don't improve in 2 to 3 days.
Back pain is accompanied by pain during urination or blood in the urine. You have back pain that is worse when you are resting than when you are active. You notice a gradual increase in problems with bowel or bladder control. Watchful waiting Watchful waiting is a wait-and-see approach.
If you have pain, numbness, or tingling in one leg that gets worse with sitting, standing, or walking without any obvious leg weakness : You may try a brief period of bed rest—usually no more than 1 to 2 days—then gradually begin activities if the pain is manageable. Take short walks. Avoid movements and positions that increase pain or numbness. Who to see For diagnosis and nonsurgical treatment of a herniated disc, you may see: A family medicine doctor.
An internist. A chiropractor. A physical therapist. A physiatrist a specialist in physical medicine and rehabilitation. A rheumatologist. A neurologist. For diagnosis and surgical treatment of a herniated disc, specialists include: A neurosurgeon.
An orthopedic surgeon. Exams and Tests Your doctor will do a medical history and physical exam. Other tests Other tests, such as blood tests, may be done to rule out other conditions.
The following tests aren't used as often as an MRI or a CT scan, but they may give your doctor more information: An electromyogram and nerve conduction test may be done in some cases for people who have signs of prolonged pressure on a nerve root. Discography can help diagnose disc problems but is rarely used. A nerve block may show which nerve is causing a problem. Treatment Overview Your doctor may recommend a short period of rest or reduced activity followed by a gradual increase in activity.
So most of the time nonsurgical treatment is tried first, including: Heat or ice, exercise, and other steps at home to help with pain and make your back stronger. For more information, see Home Treatment. Physical therapy. For more information, see Other Treatment. Pain medicine.
For more information, see Medications. Prevention To help prevent low back pain or a herniated disc: Stay at a healthy body weight. Exercise regularly. Quit smoking. Nicotine can harm the discs in your back, because it lowers the ability of the discs to absorb the nutrients they need to stay healthy. And it may cause them to become dry and brittle. Use proper lifting techniques. Think about your posture. Slumping or slouching alone may not cause low back pain.
But after the back has been strained or injured, bad posture can make pain worse. Use good posture while standing or walking. Protect your back while sitting. Try putting a small pillow or rolled towel between your back and the chair. Keep your back in the neutral position while sleeping. Place a pillow between your knees when sleeping on your side. Self-Care To reduce pain The following steps may help to reduce pain: Relax. Yes, your symptoms may resolve, but this does not necessarily mean the herniated disc itself has healed.
See Typical Symptoms of a Herniated Disc. Discs herniate either by rupturing the outer layer of the disc called the annulus, or breaking the endplate off the vertebral body Rajasekaran, Spine , allowing the soft gel-like center the nucleus pulposus to ooze out.
This gel can pinch or compress parts of the nerve sac, causing pain. The herniated nucleus pulposus contains inflammatory proteins that can cause enough inflammation to affect the nearby nerve and cause what is commonly known as sciatica , or a radiculopathy. See Diagnosing the Cause of Sciatica. Three main processes are thought to reduce the symptoms and pain caused by a lumbar herniated disc:. Any of the above factors may help reduce the size of the herniation, which means your nerve root is less likely to be affected.
See Rehabilitation and Exercise for a Healthy Back.
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