National Institutes of Health
- The primary NIH organization for research on Herniated Disk is the National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases
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
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.
References and abstracts from MEDLINE/PubMed (National Library of Medicine)