Lumbar disc herniation will very often cause intense pain.

Lumbar Disc HerniationThis is a disruptive condition of the intervertebral disc causing pain that can be very debilitating. The most common spinal movement to bring this condition on, is bending the spine forward with extra load. This type of forward bending ( or rounding the lower back ) is called flexion.   Dr. Jerome Fryer (a Nanaimo, BC chiropractor) speaks about disc herniation in a TV production video for Empowered Health on Chek TV. You can see that video here. He discusses the common causes of disc herniation and the associated risk factors.   There are different ways to treat disc herniation and the response to treatment very often is determined by the severity and type of herniation.

Lumbar Disc Herniation - pain
 

As you can see above, a disc herniation is caused by spinal compression and is a rupture of the outer most layer of the disc–the annulus. When the annulus cannot contain the nucleus, a breach forms and the nuclear material can push outwards towards delicate nerve structures. This very often causes back and leg pain.   The classifications of disc herniation are determined by how far out the nucleus gets pushed out. If the nucleus is still contained within the annulus and is causing a bulge, it is called a bulge. If the nucleus is just protruding out a little, this is called a protrusion. And if the nucleus gets extruded out even further, it is called an extrusion. There is one more classification called a sequestration (not shown above). This is when the nucleus gets pinched off and is totally separated from its origin.

Disc herniations can be very sore but can respond to treatment. The most concerning problem with a disc herniation is called cauda equina syndrome. This is case that needs immediate surgical attention. Be sure you are not experiencing these symptoms. If you are, visit your local emergency hospital right away.   Dr. Fryer has extensive knowledge on this condition, even hand crafting disc herniation models for spine professionals world-wide to improve patient education and treatment. Disc herniation is a condition that very often responds to conservative treatment.