Also called: Also called: Bulging disk, Compressed disk, Herniated intervertebral disk, Herniated nucleus pulposus, Prolapsed disk, Ruptured disk, Slipped disk
Your backbone, or spine, is made up of 26 bones called vertebrae. In between them are soft disks filled with a jelly-like substance. These disks cushion the vertebrae and keep them in place. A herniated disk is a disk that slips out of place or ruptures. If it presses on a nerve, it can cause back pain or sciatica.
Symptoms include
- Back pain that spreads to the buttocks and legs, when the herniated disk is in your lower back
- Neck pain that spreads to the shoulders and upper arms, when the herniated disk is in your upper back
- Tingling or numbness
- Muscle spasms or weakness
With treatment, most people recover. It can take a long time. Treatments include rest, pain and anti-inflammatory medicines, physical therapy and sometimes surgery. Losing weight can help, too.
- Herniated Disc(American Association of Neurological Surgeons) - http://www.neurosurgerytoday.org/what/patient_e/herniated.asp
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Herniated Disk: What It Is and What You Can Do(American Academy of Family Physicians) - http://familydoctor.org/online/famdocen/home/common/brain/disorders/341.printerview.html
Also available in Spanish http://familydoctor.org/online/famdoces/home/common/brain/disorders/341.printerview.html
- Herniated Disk Guide(Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research) - http://www.mayoclinic.com/print/herniated-disk/HD99999/PAGE=all&METHOD=print
- Exercise After Back Surgery May Speed Recovery(10/14/2008, Reuters Health) - http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/news/fullstory_70392.html
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Chronic Back Pain(DSHI Systems) - Requires Flash Player - http://www.freemd.com/chronic-back-pain/visit-virtual-doctor.htm
- Discography(North American Spine Society) - Links to PDF - http://www.spine.org/Documents/discography_2006.pdf
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MRI of the Spine(American College of Radiology, Radiological Society of North America) - http://www.radiologyinfo.org/en/info.cfm?pg=spinemr
Also available in Spanish http://www.radiologyinfo.org/sp/info.cfm?pg=spinemr
- Spine X-Ray(Cleveland Clinic Foundation) - http://my.clevelandclinic.org/services/x-ray/hic_spine_x-ray.aspx
- Artificial Discs(North American Spine Society) - Links to PDF - http://www.spine.org/Documents/artificial_disc_2006.pdf
- Epidural Injections(American College of Radiology, Radiological Society of North America) - http://www.radiologyinfo.org/en/info.cfm?PG=epidural
- Laminectomy or Laminotomy(North American Spine Society) - http://www.spine.org/Pages/ConsumerHealth/SpineConditionsAndTreatments/CommonProblemsCorrectiveActions/CommonSurgicalProcedures/LaminectomyorLaminotomy.aspx
- Laparoscopic Spine Surgery(Society of American Gastrointestinal Endoscopic Surgeons) - http://www.sages.org/publications/publication.php?id=PI03
- Open Discectomy(North American Spine Society) - Links to PDF - http://www.spine.org/Documents/open_discectomy_2006.pdf
- Spinal Fusion(American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons) - http://orthoinfo.aaos.org/topic.cfm?topic=A00348
- Spinal Injections(North American Spine Society) - Links to PDF - http://www.spine.org/Documents/injections.pdf
- Prolotherapy(InteliHealth) - http://www.intelihealth.com/IH/ihtIH/WSIHW000/4464/8486/541749.html
- Cauda Equina Syndrome(American Association of Neurological Surgeons) - http://www.neurosurgerytoday.org/what/patient_e/cauda.asp
- Cervical Radiculopathy(American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons) - http://orthoinfo.aaos.org/topic.cfm?topic=A00332
- Cervical Spine(American Association of Neurological Surgeons) - http://www.neurosurgerytoday.org/what/patient_e/cervical.asp
- Cervical Spondylosis(Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research) - http://www.mayoclinic.com/print/cervical-spondylosis/DS00697/DSECTION=all&METHOD=print
- Herniated Cervical Disc(North American Spine Society) - Links to PDF - http://www.spine.org/Documents/herniated_cervical_disc_2006.pdf
- Herniated Lumbar Disc(North American Spine Society) - Links to PDF - http://www.spine.org/Documents/herniated_lumbar_disc_2006.pdf
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JAMA Patient Page: Herniated Lumbar Disks(American Medical Association) - http://jama.ama-assn.org/cgi/reprint/296/20/2512.pdf
Also available in Spanish http://jama.ama-assn.org/cgi/data/296/20/2512/DC1/1
- Anterior Cervical Fusion(OR-Live) - Requires media player - One hour program - http://www.or-live.com/distributors/NLM/rnh.cfm?id=287
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Extreme Lateral Interbody Fusion Procedure(OR-Live) - Requires Flash Player - One hour program - 5/14/2008 - http://www.or-live.com/distributors/nlm-flash/tag_2330/rnh.cfm?id=737
- Minimally Invasive Discectomy(OR-Live) - Requires media player - One hour program - 6/16/2006 - http://www.or-live.com/distributors/NLM/rnh.cfm?id=310
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Minimally Invasive Spine Surgery for Herniated Lumbar Discs(OR-Live) - Requires Flash Player - One hour program - 02/22/2008 - http://www.or-live.com/distributors/nlm-flash/chp_1868/rnh.cfm?id=710
- Minimally Invasive Transforaminal Lumbar Interbody Fusion(OR-Live) - Requires media player - One hour program - 12/05/2006 - http://www.or-live.com/distributors/NLM/rnh.cfm?id=383
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PEEK Rod System for Transforaminal Lumbar Interbody Fusion(OR-Live) - Requires media player - One hour program - 6/12/2007 - http://www.or-live.com/distributors/NLM/rnh.cfm?id=589
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Spinal Microdiscectomy(OR-Live) - Requires Flash Player - One hour program - 5/13/2008 - http://www.or-live.com/distributors/nlm-flash/stm_2088/rnh.cfm?id=729
- Anatomy of the Spine(National Pain Foundation) - http://www.nationalpainfoundation.org/MyTreatment/articles/BackAndNeck_Part_2.asp
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ClinicalTrials.gov: Intervertebral Disk Displacement
(National Institutes of Health) - http://clinicaltrials.gov/search/open/condition=%22Intervertebral+Disk+Displacement%22
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Study Shows Patients with Herniated Disks Improve over Time - Even without Surgery(National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases) - http://www.niams.nih.gov/News_and_Events/Spotlight_on_Research/2006/backpain_surgery.asp
References and abstracts from MEDLINE/PubMed (National Library of Medicine)
- Article: Gender differences in lumbar disc herniation surgery. - http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/sites/entrez?cmd=Retrieve&db=pubmed&dopt=AbstractPlus&list_uids=18839371&tool=MedlinePlus
- Article: The pathophysiology of disc degeneration: a critical review. - http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/sites/entrez?cmd=Retrieve&db=pubmed&dopt=AbstractPlus&list_uids=18827232&tool=MedlinePlus
- Article: Lumbar discectomy outcomes vary by herniation level in the Spine... - http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/sites/entrez?cmd=Retrieve&db=pubmed&dopt=AbstractPlus&list_uids=18762639&tool=MedlinePlus
- Herniated Disk -- see more articles - http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/sites/entrez?cmd=search&db=pubmed&term=intervertebral+disk+displacement[majr]+AND+english[la]+AND+humans[mh]+NOT+(letter[pt]+OR+editorial[pt]+OR+case+reports[pt])&doptcmdl=summary&cmd_current=Limits&pmfilter_EDatLimit=last+1+Year&tool=MedlinePlus
- Glossary of Terms(North American Spine Society) - http://www.spine.org/Pages/ConsumerHealth/SpineConditionsAndTreatments/GlossaryTerms/Default.aspx
- Spine Care Provider Search(North American Spine Society) - http://www.spine.org/Pages/ConsumerHealth/SpineCareProviderSearch/Default.aspx
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National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases - http://www.niams.nih.gov/
Also available in Spanish http://www.niams.nih.gov/Portal_En_Espanol/
- Back Pain - http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/backpain.html
- Bones, Joints and Muscles - http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/bonesjointsandmuscles.html
The primary NIH organization for research on Herniated Disk is the National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases - http://www.niams.nih.gov/