Safe treatment with experienced spine surgeons
The human spine is made up of vertebrae, elastic ligaments and intervertebral discs. Between each vertebra in the spine lies a cartilage disc - a so-called discus. This is made up of a hard shell and a soft core, and it's these that allow us to bend our backs. Without them, our spine would be one long, stiff bone.
If the hard shell is damaged, either by overuse or as a consequence of age-related and genetic degeneration, part of the soft core can leak out and cause pressure on the spinal nerves. This causes pain in the back. This is called a herniated disc. Herniated discs are distinguished by where they are located in the back - in the neck, thoracic spine or lumbar spine, which you can read more about further down the page.
Causes and symptoms of herniated discs
Throughout a lifetime, the discs in the spine will wear out and if a tear occurs, the soft material of the discs will bulge out towards the spinal canal. The bulge will put pressure on the nervous system and depending on how the material is distributed, the pressure will be experienced differently. Most commonly, the soft mass is pushed out to one side - in this case, it will press on a nerve root that branches out into an arm or leg. If the soft mass is pushed out in the middle, the patient will instead experience pressure on the spinal cord or a bundle of nerve roots if it is in the lower back.
A traffic accident or a fall can lead to what is known as a traumatic herniated disc. This type differs from the age-related type as the prolapse occurs due to a sudden overload of the spine.