A herniated disc, anywhere on the spinal column, whether cervical or lumbar, can have a variety of symptoms. Most commonly, the sufferer will feel pain, which usually radiates from the neck or back to the arms or legs. However, there are other symptoms that let you know it may be a more serious problem that needs to be treated as soon as possible. Find out what these symptoms are in this article!
There are herniated discs that are asymptomatic, so it is possible for a patient to have one and not know about it until it is discovered by chance because they have an imaging test taken for some other problem, and it shows the spine and the hernia. However, this depends on the herniated disc, its location and how long the condition has lasted, among other factors.
The most common situation, as we have mentioned is for the person with a herniated disc to feel pain. This is because when a disc herniates, its ability to bear weight is affected and it cannot perform its usual function of shock absorber. In addition, when it ruptures, the inner content is expelled beyond the outer ring and it presses on a nerve, which can cause the pain to radiate towards one area or another depending on the nerve root, either cervical or lumbar, that is pressed.
In the case of cervical disc herniation, pain can radiate to the shoulders, biceps, triceps, forearm, or fingers, depending on the intervertebral disc affected.
Learn more about cervical disc herniation
In the case of a lumbar disc herniation, the pain usually extends to the buttocks, legs or feet.
More about lumbar disc herniation
Of course, the pain can be of different intensities, and either temporary or chronic. This means that the patient may only notice occasional discomfort, or they may have acute pain that appears suddenly, accompanied by other more serious symptoms like those we describe in the next section.
Severe symptoms of a herniated disc
Muscle weakness
A herniated disc can cause weakness in nearby muscles, that is, in the arms or legs. In the case of cervical disc herniation, it can affect one of the two arms or, in some cases, a very large herniated disc in the neck can affect the legs and cause a loss of strength below a certain area throughout the body. Both situations can also occur at the same time.
In the case of lumbar disc herniation, it’s important to watch for weakness in either of the legs. If muscle weakness appears, it can affect the patient’s mobility. In the case of cervical disc herniation, the sufferer may have difficulty grasping objects, and in the case of lumbar disc herniation, they may be likely to trip or stumble.
If the muscle weakness is bad enough to prevent movement of the legs or arms, it is important to see a doctor urgently.
Loss of feeling
As we said earlier, when a disc herniates, its content is pushed out and can cause pressure on the nerves. As a symptom of this nerve compression, you may notice numbness or tingling, either in the shoulders, arms and hands in the case of cervical hernia; or in the buttocks, legs and feet in the case of lumbar hernia. If you cannot feel it when you are touched or pinched in any of these areas, you should see a doctor urgently. It is necessary to consult a medical professional in order to determine whether this symptom is due to a herniated disc or some other pathology.
Sphincter dysfunctions
There is a section of the lumbar spine that is especially susceptible to disc herniations that have serious effects that come on very quickly. We refer to the area where we find the root of the nerves that are responsible for controlling urine and feces. It is important to head to the emergency room if you notice either tingling or numbness in the “saddle region” -- the area of the body that would be in contact with a saddle when sitting on a horse -- or if you cannot control leakage of urine or feces.
In any case, we recommend that you see a specialist for medical advice as soon as symptoms appear, whether they are mild or intense, because that way your condition can be treated sooner, and it is more likely that a conservative treatment option will suffice, without the need for surgery. Nonetheless, if your case does require surgery, there are minimally invasive techniques such as endoscopic surgery, or more advanced and exclusive techniques such as Artificial Disc Replacment surgery (ADR) that we perform at Instituto Clavel.
This operation replaces the damaged intervertebral disc with a prosthetic implant that mimics the movement of a healthy natural disc. At Instituto Clavel, we perform this surgery using the anterior approach, through the abdomen, which minimizes the risk of nerve damage and allows the patient to recover more quickly.
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Categories: Spine treatments, Spine pathologies, Instituto Clavel