Lumbar Disk Disease (Herniated Disk) - Causes, Symptoms, and Treatment

Are you experiencing extreme pain in your lower back? This might be a sign of Lumbar disc disease. However, to confirm it, you must look for several other signs and symptoms. Also, once you are sure about it, you should not delay treatment to avoid further complications.

What is Lumbar Disk Disease?

Lumbar disc disease is a degenerative disease that occurs when the discs of the vertebral column in the lumbar region break down. This, in turn, exerts pressure on the neurons, resulting in immense pain.

This is more frequent in the lower spine, mainly between 4th and 5th lumbar vertebra. These effects are also quite prominent between 5th lumbar vertebra and the 1st sacral vertebra.

There are several signs that indicate the development of this disease, which intensifies with time.

What Are the Signs and Symptoms of Lumbar Disk Disease?

You can look for the following lumbar disc disease symptoms to confirm its occurrence:

Continuous lower back pain: You can experience a continuous back pain indicating herniated discs.
Sensitive to touch: If you touch your lower back you can feel immense pain in and around that region.
Occasional increase in pain: The back pain can suddenly intensify at irregular intervals.
Pain in lower body parts: You can feel excess pain in the lower region of your body, that is, the thigh and knees.
Sudden weakness and instability: You can feel sudden weaknesses and instability in the lower part of your body, indicating herniated discs.
Decreased reflexes: You can, at times, feel that the lower part of your body is not responding well to external stimulus, which is highly indicative of this condition.

There can be several causes of lumbar disk disease that you should know.

What Are the Causes of Lumbar Disk Disease?

With an increase in age, this disease becomes more prominent in individuals. Below are some pivotal causes behind the development of this disease in your body:

Drying up of body fluids: Body fluids act as shock absorbers for vertebral discs. If they dry up, the discs become brittle and friction prone. In such a situation, even a tiny shock can break them.
Cracks in spinal disks: If there are cracks due to accidents or tears on the discs then they exert immense pressure on the nerve surrounding them. This cause an intense pain sensation.

Additionally, you must also be aware of the risk factors involved in this disease to safeguard yourself from its severity.

What Are the Risk Factors Involved in Lumbar Disk Disease?

Following are some of the risk factors associated with lumber disc disease:

Body weight: People with increased body weight have a high chance of suffering from lumber disc disease. This is mainly because most of this weight is exerted on the discs of the lower back.
Genetics: If you have had this disease running in your family for generations, you will be more prone to it. Thus, even a small trigger can take the shape of a deadly disease if it is in your genetics.
Driving for Long Hours: If you drive for long hours, it can exert tremendous pressure on your lower back. This can lead to the occurrence of this condition if you continue to do so without a halt.
Frequent smoking: Excessive smoking can reduce the supply of oxygen to these discs. This makes them brittle enough and increases the chances of their breaking.
Lack of Physical Activity: If you diminish your regular body activities, it can increase chances of suffering from lumbar disc disease. Thus, you should exercise regularly to keep from this disease.
Occupation: If you are in a profession where you have to engage in lifting heavy weights or working out rigorously on a regular basis, the chances of developing a lumbar disc disease increase.
Sudden injury: If you meet any accident during your regular course of action, then it can amplify the chances of developing lumbar disc disease.

Once you start noticing the symptoms, you must not delay in its diagnosis. Longer you wait, more severe will be the adverse effect on your body.

How Is Lumbar Disk Disease Diagnosed?

The following techniques are used to diagnose lumbar disc disease:

X-ray: During this test, laboratory technicians use X-Rays to take a clear picture of the lumber disc. With the help of these pictures, a doctor can suggest the proper treatment for you.
Myelogram: This test is similar to an X-ray in the procedure. However, it involves an additional step of injecting dyes into spinal canal. This makes the disc more prominently visible and eases its diagnosis.
MRI: For this test, laboratory technicians use radio frequencies, large magnets and computers to produce a detailed image of the affected disc. This aid doctors in studying them and proposing appropriate treatment.
CT Scan: It produces a more detailed image than an X-ray to study the discs accurately. For this, computer technology is used along with the X-rays to obtain an axial or horizontal image of these discs.

It is essential to go for treatment as soon as you complete your diagnosis to prevent it from worsening.

What Is the Treatment Method Followed for Lumbar Disc Disease?

Following are the lumbar disc disease treatment methods that are popularly suggested by doctors:

Adequate rest: You can take a sufficient amount of rest to reduce the extra pressure on the lower discs of your vertebral column. This can help greatly to cure herniated discs if it is in its early stages.
Physical therapies: You can inculcate some easy body stretching exercises in your daily routine. This will keep you active and strengthen your back muscles to ensure that the extra burden is taken off the lower discs.
Steroid injections: You can take steroid injections to soothe your nerve and get relief from the pain temporarily. However, you must avoid consuming them in excess as they are harmful and have prominent side effects.
Medications: There are several medicines and Non Steroidal Anti-Inflammatory Drugs (NSAIDs) that can cure your pain. However, this, too, is a temporary solution, and there remains a high chance of the pain relapsing.
Surgical treatment: If, even after six weeks of trying out the above treatments, the pain persists, the only remaining option is surgery. There are several surgical options, such as stabilisation surgery, where two discs of the spine are fused together to increase its strength. Another one is decompression surgery, where doctors remove some discs entirely so that they no longer exert pressure on the nerves.

Since surgical treatments are both painful and costly, you can undertake several preventive measures to curb this disease at its preliminary stages.

What Are the Preventive Measures for Lumbar Disc Disease?

Following are some preventive measures for lumbar disc disease:

Maintain a proper diet: Having a proper diet is essential for maintaining adequate body weight. This will ensure that not much pressure is exerted on the discs of your vertebral column.
Exercise regularly: If you perform some light exercises on a regular basis, it can help relax and strengthen your back muscles. This will aid you in keeping from lumbar disc disease.
Correct sitting posture: If you are in a profession where you perform a desk job, make sure that you are maintaining an accurate posture. You must keep your back straight and aligned while sitting for longer hours.
Quit smoking: You must quit smoking as it reduces the supply of oxygen to the discs making them brittle.
Avoid driving for long hours: You must avoid driving your vehicle for long hours to keep from back problems. Instead, you can hire a driver or use public transport to commute to your destinations.
Refrain from carrying excess weights: You should avoid carrying extra weight to prevent excess pressure on the discs of your vertebral column. This would ensure that your vertebral discs remain shock-free and protected.

However, if you are still not receiving relief from this pain, then you must consult a doctor immediately.

When to See a Doctor for Lumbar Disc Disease?

You must consult a doctor immediately if the pain persists for an extended period of time. Some warning signs that you can look for are:

The back pain gradually lowers down to the lower part of your body.
If your lower body parts have become numb or weak over time.

Once you start noticing the symptoms of lumbar disc disease, it becomes imperative to visit a doctor for immediate diagnosis and subsequent treatment. This would ensure that you get the proper treatment at the appropriate time to escape its severity.

Frequently Asked Questions

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Can you use stem cell therapy for lumbar disc disease treatment?

Some researchers at the University of Queensland, Australia, have successfully regenerated intra-vertebral discs using stem cell therapy. However, doctors do not adopt it yet due to a lack of sufficient evidence supporting this technique.

What are some common queries that doctors have during the diagnosis of Herniated disk?

Some common questions that doctors ask during diagnosis of this disease are:

The starting time of the pain
Which activities increase or decrease the pain
In which body parts do you feel this pain the most
How much can you walk with this pain
Which symptoms have you noticed related to this disease
If there was any injury leading to this pain.

What are the surgical risks involved in the treatment of lumbar disc disease?

Some surgical risks in the treatment of this disease include:

Tearing the protective covering of nerves
Severe infections
Critical nerve injuries
Nerve compression leading to hematoma
Reappearing of herniated discs

What are the complications of lumbar disc disease?

The complications of lumbar disc disease are as follows:

Excessive increase in backache hampering your daily activities.
Gradual loss of sensation in the back and inner thighs.
Extreme difficulty in urinating even when the bladder is full.

Which people are more prone to lumbar disc disease?

People above 40 years of age are more prone to lumbar disc disease.